Kurosaki Karin: The New Story
by Aimi Naoko
Summary: Kurosaki Karin starts off on a simple mission which involves her to join the Shinigami Academy. She makes friends along the way but those friends cause her life to go into chaos. Falling in love is the cause of everything to go wrong. Karin x Hitsugaya
1. Chapter 1: Aimless Boredom

Karin sat on the bench and watched as the world slowly passed on by. She looked around her. There wasn't very much to do that day. It was actually quite boring at this particular moment in time.

She was suppose to do her homework but she felt that she would take the time to do it much later. Yuzu would remind her to do it later anyway. Karin smiled to herself. Yuzu was very much like a new mother. She would worry and cry whenever Ichigo never came home on time. Her smile instantly turned into a frown.

"Where was Ichi-nii?" she muttered to herself.

She was mad at him, almost insanely so. First off, he went off without telling her or her twin sister. Next, now she was stuck alone making her father stop his crazy ways and punishing him as such. She could think of hundreds of more things that made her mad at him at this moment. The number one thing that she was thinking was how could he make her worry about his safety?

As the big brother, it was_ his_ job in order to keep _her_ from worrying. This was all reverse. He was suppose to worried about her! Karin was mad that this is how it had to happen.

She looked at the soccer ball in her net. She was so bored. Maybe playing some soccer wouldn't be too bad of a thing to do. She looked at the sky. Why could she never remember to bring a stupid watch?

It was light outside but she could barely tell if it was the afternoon or the morning or the sun was about to set. She shook her head in annoyance. How many times has she asked her dad to get off his lazy butt and spring for a cell phone.

Not that Karin would ever remember to bring it with her wherever she went, but she couldn't help but want it so that if she ever _did_ remember, it would be there, handy, fully-charged, and ready to go and be helpful.

She looked at where she was. She didn't seem to be too far from the soccer field that she, with the help of Toushiro of course. She couldn't get him out of her head ever since then. She wanted to know his secret of course.

How did he get to be such a great soccer player? How...how old was he really? The biggest question of all that really bugged Karin the most, did he have anything to do with Ichigo's disappearance? **(For anyone who is wondering....i think that this part of the story takes place while Ichigo is occupodo with the whole Arrancar situation...)**

Karin looked at the soccer field. She had finally arrived. She looked at the sky. It was still the pretty bright with a nice light breeze and the sun was still blinding her. She sighed. It was pretty dull. Wait, she had already thought that. She looked at the net/bag that was holding her soccer ball. She loosened the top and grabbed the ball out. She dropped it but caught it with her foot.

She glanced at her knee. It was still slightly bruised from the match she had. She has scratches and it had scarcely healed. She thought that maybe she shouldn't be playing with her soccer ball if her knee's wound might open up yet again. Yuzu had already scolded her about re-opening her wound. Karin could just hear the words now.

(flashback)

_"Karin!" Yuzu scolded. "If you keep on playing with that soccer ball of yours, you'll end up with your knee never healing! Just think of the scars!"_

_Karin lays back in her chair while Yuzu does the dishes. She eyes her scratch. "It's not that bad," she told her sister. "No need to worry about me."_

_Karin suddenly hears sniffles from the direction of Yuzu. She lets the chair drop back in its normal position. She turns around in her chair to see Yuzu crying. _

_"Yuzu!" she said, her turn to be scolding now. "What did I tell you about crying? There's is no need to cry when you have absolutely no reason to!"_

_Yuzu tried her hardest to stop crying but she couldn't keep the tears from streaming down her girl-ish face. "I-i c-c-can't help-p i-IT!!" she said bawling. "I-i-ichi-n-ni i-is g-g-g-gone!" She slumped to the floor and cried. _

_Karin sighed and got up from her chair. She sat on the floor next to her sister and hugged her. "It's okay," she murmured and comfortingly held Yuzu's head in her arms._

(end flashback :D)

Karin kicked her soccer ball hard. She watched as it sailed over the fence and sailed over to the water. She then saw it slowly moving towards the river. Karin cursed.

She stopped watching it and ran after it. She picked up as much speed as she could. That soccer ball was the one that Ichigo had given her. She wasn't about to lose the one thing that he had ever given her. She raced to the river.

She stared in horror as the ball was about to dip into the river then it disappears. She stopped in mid-sprint, which was in the middle of the street, might I add, and just looked at the spot where the ball once was.

"Looking for this?" a quiet and somewhat lethal sounding voice sounded behind her.

She turned around slowly.

"You!" she exclaimed.

* * *

Karin sat at the edge of the river which her soccer ball almost fell in. She looked at the person that was happening to sit next to her.

"Why are you here?" she asked quietly. She was slightly intimidated by this person.

"Nothing better to do," he muttered. "What are you even doing here, Kurosaki?"

Karin's vein popped out. How could he just call her 'Kurosaki' it almost sounded like he was talking to a boy instead of a girl. Sure, she acted like a boy and she sure didn't care for the clothes and all the dolls that Yuzu has accumulated over the years, but that as hell didn't allow him to call her something like that.

"Refer to me as Karin-chan," she said, rather annoyed. "Or else I will hurt you."

The boy gave her a rather grim smile. "Like you could do any damage to me," she said like he was listening to a rather amusing joke.

Karin smiled at him. "What was your name again, elementary student?" she asked, him, remembering how much it bugged him the last time she had called him that.

Sure, she remembered his name as Toushiro Hitsugaya but she didn't want to do anything else but bug him to death.

The boy's vein popped out this time. "It's Hitsugaya," he muttered, turning his cold gaze of ice on Karin.

She couldn't help getting a feeling of ice lay over her. The sun was still shining though. It must be this boy that is making her colder.

"I didn't think that you would forget my name so easily." He seemed rather sad at the fact that even though he had saved her life, she hadn't "remembered" his name. He considered it quite rude. He was her 'hero' after all.

"Thanks," Karin muttered, turning her face away. "for saving my soccer ball from the clutches of my own kick."

Hitsugaya smiled. "Sure," he said.

"Where has that big boobed woman gone off to?" Karin asked, she looked around for her. She tended to see her wherever Toushiro was.

"Don't remind me of that lazy woman," Hitsugaya said annoyed. "She's probably off shopping or something."

* * *

Indeed she was. In fact, I remember seeing her purchase a nice pair of high heels. I wonder how she's going to wear those while fighting hollows...

* * *

Karin looked at Hitsugaya. He was frowning again. She got up and nudged her soccer ball towards him with the tip of her foot.

"Wanna play?" she asked him. She was bored and they were close to the soccer field so it would be a good time to go and practice, regardless of what Yuzu would approve of.

He shrugged and looked like he was going to decline when Karin grabbed his arm and raced to the soccer field, kicking her soccer ball along the way. He was dragged behind her, with a seriously annoyed but strangely amused face. He looked like he was rather enjoying being dragged to play soccer by a tomboy yet beautiful girl.

When they finally raced onto the field, Karin let go of Hitsugaya and kicked the ball while running to the other side of the field from where he was. She wanted to see if she could finally beat him. She started running towards the goal on his side.

She looked at him the whole time. She was worried that if she took her eyes off of him he would either disappear and never to be seen from again until random moments, or he would steal the ball from her. When she neared the goal, she gave her most powerful kick, taking her eyes of Hitsugaya.

That was her first mistake.

Karin stood still, astonished, because right in front of the goal with the ball trapped under his foot, was Hitsugaya. Karin glanced at the spot he was a millisecond before the spot he turned up to be. It was at least 4 yards. She huffed.

"That's not fair!" she said. "How are you so fast?"

The corners of Hitsugaya's mouth slowly drew upwards into a smirk-like smile. He thought Karin was hilarious. She was so young and free of the weight of the world.

"This is what you are when you're a Shinigami," he said.

Karin looked at him. He was like her brother. She had forgotten. After all, he was in his fake body. At least that is what Karin thinks it is. After all, she had seen it sprawled out on the dirt of the soccer field when he had saved her from the hollow. It was there but he stood over her, his arm raised with a katana in his hand, protecting her from an early death.

She was grateful, to a certain degree.

She charged forward as he started to run to her goal. She could barely see where he was disappearing to. He seemed to be going in a left to right pattern. She watched carefully until he was dangerously close to her goal.

She decided that if she stepped right in front of him, he would go around her, giving her the perfect chance to steal the ball. That didn't go according to plan.

When she ran, she somehow had gotten really fast, cutting exactly into the path of Hitsugaya, something he was completely unprepared for. They crashed into each other, falling over. That's when...........

.....their lips met.

* * *

Karin pushed Hitsugaya off of her. She got up and brushed herself off. She looked around to see if anyone saw that little moment. When she was satisfied that no one had seen her, she turned back to Hitsugaya.

She turned to see him lying on the floor, now on his back, by the force that Karin used to push him off of her. His face was in shock and something about the way his mouth twitched made her laugh.

She leaned over him and brought her face near to his. She might as well mess with him in his shocked state. "You okay?" she asked him, she made sure that he could smell her breath on his face.

She gave thanks to her sister for asking her to chew some cherry flavored gum after breakfast. She was even more thankful that she was too lazy to have eaten lunch. She normally got a sandwich or maybe some sushi.

She didn't want the boy to kiss her first, Hitsugaya wasn't on the list of the first boy. Actually no one at that point in her life was on the list. She was far to busy to worry about trying to gain the attention of some boy. She had more important things to spend her time on.

Hitsugaya's eyes opened in shock and he scooted as far away from her as he could.

"Sorry," he muttered. "I was unprepared for you to actually cross my path."

Karin stood up from where was was leaning over a second ago. She smiled. "It's okay," she said. "It was rather nice."

Hitsugaya smiled grimly. "It was.." he started to say, smiling briefly. He suddenly got a very serious look. "okay. That's all it was, okay." He seemed more like he was trying to convince himself rather than Karin.

Karin walked over to him. When she smiled at him widely, a light blush started to spread over his cheeks. He looked like he was turning into a pink bear, he was getting so red.

Karin stopped in front of him. When he had scooted away, he had taken the soccer ball along with him. She bent down and grabbed the ball from where it sat next to his legs.

She smiled briefly and then walked to where she had left her net/bag earlier. She made the trek back home, leaving the confused boy sitting on the ground of the soccer field. She looked back and smiled while he just gave her a funny blank look.


	2. Chapter 2: Thinking of You

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I didn't expect anyone to see the story...so that was a little surprising. Thanks!

* * *

Karin sat at the dinner table eating the dinner that Yuzu prepared. Her father was doing what he normally did, he would always be making a complete idiot of himself.

Yuzu, who acted like a mom, took his idiot-ness like any mom did. She was completely use to it and so she didn't like to do what Karin did when her father came over and stuck his butt in her face, wiggling it.

Karin kicked her father's butt and he smashed his head into the wall. Yuzu gave a weak smile and shaky laugh. She scooted to where her father lay in a heap on the ground.

He raised his head. "W-what did I do, Karin?" he said whining.

Karin stood over him with her fists clenched and a vein popped out of her forehead. He had stuck his _butt_ in her face. Was that not a good enough reason to kick him into a wall?

"You stuck your butt in my face," Karin said as a matter of fact-ly, trying to keep from smashing his face into the floor next.

She ignored as her father stuttered and started to cry. Yuzu, who stood next to him with a weak smile, asked him if he wanted some ice. His response was tears flying everywhere.

Karin sat down again in front of her dinner. She didn't feel like eating anymore. The real reason that she had smashed her father face into a wall wasn't because of his silly antics, not that she would do that on any _normal _occasion.

Yet this wasn't a normal occasion. She was thinking of Hitsugaya.

She couldn't help but smile at the expression on his face when they kissed. It was so blank and funny. She bet that was his first kiss too. When Karin thought of how the first person she had kissed was a soul, she didn't feel angry.

Actually, she thought it was pretty cool. It wasn't like she had kissed a corpse. She had just kissed a soul. What was the big deal?

She stuffed the remains of her dinner in her mouth and got up from the table. She brought her plate to the sink. She was still thinking of Hitsugaya when she dried the plate and put it on the rack.

"I'm going out," Karin called to Yuzu, who was pressurizing an ice pack to the back of her father's head.

"Karin?!" her father screamed at the top of his lungs.

Karin stopped at the door to the hallway. "What?" she asked, annoyed. Did he always have to butt into her business.

"You aren't going to see a _boy_ now are you?" her father asked, smiling. "My little Kari is growing up!

Yuzu was reeled in. "Is the boy really cute?" Yuzu demanded to know. Yuzu didn't want her sister to be in love with an idiot...like her father. It was sad to admit but the absolute truth.

Karin glared at them. It was her best death stare that she could conjure up. She turned on the back of her heel and walked through the hallway and out the front door.

When she arrived outside she looked up at the moonlit sky. She walked down the road. She spun the net/bag that kept her soccer ball in a clockwise rotation making it look like a blur in her right hand.

She had grabbed her soccer ball on her way out. She kept it right next to the front door, it was handy for whenever a hollow showed up. She would just kick the ball into their face as hard as she could.

She still wondered why it hadn't worked with the extremely large hollow that she saw. Hitsugaya destroyed it with no problem. She was jealous of his power and soccer skills. Not that he needed to know any of that.

"Huh?" she asked. She turned to look behind her. She had a very strong feeling that she was being followed. She didn't see anyone. Maybe she was just being paranoid.

She was still thinking of him when a hollow suddenly appeared in front of her. She felt like screaming but she just couldn't. That would be weak. But this hollow was monstrous. **(it was a menos grande but Karin wouldn't know that)**

She got out her soccer ball and kicked it as hard as she could at the gigantic beast. It plopped against the side of the monster. The monster didn't even react. She gaped, the monster frowned back. Well she was out of options.

The monster came towards Karin while all she could do was stand there. She wasn't frozen in fear like most of normal people were. She saw what her brother did all the time. There was no need to be afraid of something like this. She wouldn't let herself.

When the monster bent his head down as if to bite her, Karin had almost become resigned to death. She closed her eyes, hoping it wouldn't be very painful. She stood there...and stood there...and stood there. Finally she opened her eyes.

"What the...," she asked.

The monster had disappeared. She looked around.

"W-where did it go?" she asked, she lifted her hand to see if she could see where on Earth it went. It was a pretty big monster, she didn't see how it could just vanish like that.

"Can't see it," she noted. She continued on her way to the soccer field. She might as well get some practice in.

* * *

Hitsugaya had watched Karin. He followed her home and watched with the little incident with her father. He was surprised by the strength she displayed. She was able to kick a fully grown man into a wall.

Wait, he shouldn't think like that. He kicked a partial-full grown man. With his idiot attitude, he bet that if Yuzu ever tried, she could at least kick him into the couch that was directly beneath the wall he was smashed into.

He had to quickly run into the nearest alley way when Karin had looked back. He couldn't get caught. She would hit him, or worse, laugh at him.

He followed her from the house to where the Menos Grande had appeared. Yes, he was being a bit stalkerish but he was curious. He would worry about being caught later. He was glad he had become a stalker in his soul form.

He quickly disposed of the Menos. When he landed in front of Karin, he noticed how she was surrounded by a light glow. He poked his hand at it. It electrocuted him. He frowned ever so slightly.

"Karin?" he asked. "Karin?!"

She didn't seem to have heard him. He quickly ran away so that when she finally did open her eyes, she wouldn't see him. He didn't want to be branded a hero by her again. She might think she'll have to make up for it again.

He used shunpo to go to the area where he first met Karin. He leaned against the metal barrier that kept the cars from running off the cliff to their doom. The moon was beautiful from there.

"What was that amazing barrier that surrounded her?" he muttered to himself. "It electrocuted me. Plus her reiatsu had increased drastically."

He pondered it over. She would have an amazing reiatsu, Hitsugaya already knew that. She was Ichigo's sister after all. He looked up at the sky. He had never met a more interesting family.

He didn't know why, but he liked to look at the sky. It made it seem like nothing could go wrong and he was at peace. He touched his lips, absent minded. He liked the way that hers had met his. A light blush touched his cheeks.

"HI, CAPTAIN!!" a high pitched shriek reached sounded right next to his ear.

"MATSUMOTO!" he yelled angrily as he turned to see his big chested lieutenant, wearing her gigai, stand behind him with her arms crossed around her chest.

"Watcha doing?" she asked her captain. "You were touching your lips."

Hitsugaya tried to keep his face impassive but it was an utter failure. His cheeks were turning pinker by the second. Damn, he had been caught.

"Oh?" Matsumoto smiled. "Are you thinking about the girl you kissed? Or to be more exact, fell on?"

Hitsugaya's vein popped out on his head. "What were you doing there?" he demanded to know. This stalking thing of hers was really starting to tick him off. Why couldn't she go shopping when he _needed_ her to go shopping?

"Isn't that the girl you saved the other day?" she asked, putting a finger on her own lips as if she was focusing hard on something. Her brow furrowed. "What was her name? Katie......Kallie......hhmm....Karin!"

Hitsugaya's face had reached the ultimate red tomato. "W-what about her?" he stammered. He was totally losing his cool. Had she watched him stalk Karin?

"Why were you following her?" she cooed. Yup, she saw him. She snapped her fingers and her eyes opened wide. "You have a crush! Yay! You are finally _that_ age!" She hugged him aka smothered him with her enormous chest.

Hitsugaya was not amused. His face slowly turned back to its normal pale color. He pushed his face out of her breasts and kicked her away.

"Awe, Captain," she whined. "you're so cold!"

Hitsugaya got up from where he was leaning. He walked away from Matsumoto. Matsumoto wasn't even paying attention to his walk away from her. She had a wonderful scheme on her mind.

* * *

_the next morning_

Karin walked along the shops. The soccer field was taken by a bunch of adults. She knew she couldn't ask them to leave when they had a whole team and she had...well, herself.

She wasn't interested in shopping but her clothes had started to get to small for her. She was very happy about that!

She was able to finally get the soccer team jersey that only came in young adult sizes. It was her favorite team. She couldn't fit into it quite yet. Growing was the first step to get the jersey. Next she had to beg for some money from Ichigo. Either that or pickpocket him.

When she looked up, she saw the woman. It was the one that had appeared next to Hitsugaya the day that he saved her. She was smiling at Karin. Karin gave a weak smile back. The woman started to run towards her.

Karin took a step back. The woman's chest had almost bashed into her and knocked her over.

"Hi!" the woman said bursting with excitement. "You're Karin, aren't you?"

Karin nodded dumbly. She never had met a woman that was bursting with excitement so much. Her entire aura was all about fun and excitement. She had looked so serious that day. It was like to completely different people.

"Who are you again?" she asked. "Sorry, I forgot your name."

The woman smiled broadly. "I'm Rangiku Matsumoto," she said. "You may call me Matsumoto, Rangiku, beautiful, goddess, amazing..."

Matsumoto ran a whole list of things that Karin could call her. Karin smiled. Most of the things that she was allowed to call Matsumoto had something to do with looks. Yuzu and her would get along greatly.

"I'll just call you Matsumoto," Karin decided.

Matsumoto looked disappointed. "What?" Karin asked.

"Can you call me beauty divine?" Matsumoto asked.

Karin just stared. She would also get along fine with her father.

"No."

Matsumoto pouted. "Ugh!" she complained. "You are just like my captain."

This caught Karin's attention. "Really?" she asked, trying to sound indifferent.

Matsumoto could see through it right away. This was going all according to her evil plan.

"How about.." she started. "you let me take you shopping for a new look and makeover, and I'll tell you about my captain?"

Matsumoto hoped that with shopping she could distract Karin and never let her get the chance to ask about him. She really didn't know that much about his past. The only thing she knew was his cold attitude...

Karin could tell by how Matsumoto was smiling so broadly that she really couldn't tell Karin much. She needed a new clothes so she might as well go shopping with Matsumoto.

"Okay," she said nodding.

Matsumoto gave an evil smile and whipped out a credit card.

"This is going to be fun."


	3. Chapter 3: Shopping Extravaganza

Karin sighed. She was shopping with an insane shopper. She had made numerous attempts to disappear but they failed. Matsumoto would appear right in front of her and ask if she liked this shirt or this skirt or this dress.

Was this woman trying to girly her up?

Matsumoto was forcing her into dressing rooms and putting on ridiculously girly outfits. Then Matsumoto would pay for the outfits that she thought Karin looked cute in. Karin was out of breath at the end of each store.

If shopping was a sport, this woman would win first prize.

"Come here, Karin," Matsumoto sang. "I have the cutest shirt and skirt for you to try on."

It was always the 'cutest' outfits and the most 'adorable' accessories. Karin felt that her head would explode at any given moment.

"Karin, you look so cute! How about we buy this here?"

Karin hung her head. She would never get to the shopping that she wanted to do. She should have just ran away the moment that she saw Matsumoto.

After _hours _of trying on close and accessories, Matsumoto said the words that Karin was happy to hear.

"Okay!" she said happily. "We are done with shopping with accessories and clothes!"

Then she said the worst words that Karin could think of.

"Time for an extreme makeover!"

* * *

Hitsugaya was at his usual spot for staring at the sky. He was disturbed by what Matsumoto had said that morning.

(flashback!)

_"Hee hee hee," Matsumoto giggled. _

_"What do you think you're doing?" Hitsugaya asked icily from behind her. _

_"C-captain!" Matsumoto looked nervous. "I didn't think you would still be here."_

_"It's 8 in the morning. Where else would I be?"_

_"I don't know... maybe stalking after Karin?"_

_A vein popped out of Hitsugaya's forehead. "Matsumoto.."_

_"Have to go and meet someone _very _important."_

(end flashback)

Who was so important that Matsumoto had to get up that early to meet? She looked so happy about meeting them too. She was probably going shopping. The _meeting_ part got Hitsugaya. What poor person had to shop with Matsumoto?

Hitsugaya had made the mistake of going shopping with Matsumoto when she first became his lieutenant. She had claimed that she was finally going to start _working _so she took her captain out to go and find someone they needed to ask some questions on.

They ended up going shopping.

Hitsugaya brought out his cell phone that made the annoying beeping sounds. He looked at it. No hollows today.

"Darn," he said disappointed.

Killing hollows was more fun then just sitting around being annoyed and bored. He would look for Matsumoto. Maybe he'll catch a glimpse at the poor person who she had dragged with her to go shopping.

* * *

Karin stared at herself in the mirror. Matsumoto had made her get changed into a new outfit.

Matsumoto could tell that the clothes that she was wearing before was too small for her. They wrapped around her that made her look like she was bursting out of her clothes.

As Karin stared at her reflection, her reflection stared back at her. Both faces looked like they couldn't believe what they were looking at.

Karin had donned a mini jean skirt and a spaghetti strapped top that was pink and had frills at the bottom. Her shoes had thick heels and showed most of her feet with two straps to hold her ankle and her toes in place. She felt that she looked absolutely ludicrous.

The only good thing about the outfit was that Matsumoto had bought a leather jacket. It had a skull on the back. The skull was sort of smiling and looked demented. In Karin's book, it was cool.

Matsumoto forced Karin from the mirror into the chair at the salon.

"Don't you think you look mind blowing?" Matsumoto gushed. "I wish that Hitsugaya could see you like this."

_Hm..._Matsumoto thought. _He is coming closer to finding us. I should speed up the process. _

Matsumoto talked to the nearest lady at the salon. She started instructing the woman exactly what to change on Karin. Apparently, Karin was suppose to get a full body wax (owie!), her hair style changed, light natural looking makeup (poor pores), and full mani- and pedi-cure.

"W-wait," Karin stuttered. "What exactly are you doing to me?"

Matsumoto and the woman dragged Karin to the back of the store and started to work the insane but stylish magic.

* * *

Hitsugaya could sense Matsumoto's reiatsu nearby. He stood on the top of the building.

"Hm," he mumbled. "It seems that she is inside the salon."

He could sense another reiatsu. It was faint. His eyes opened widely. He sprinted towards Orihime's house to pick up his gigai. Karin!

When he finally put himself in the gigai, he sprinted as fast as he could without causing a ruckus at his speed, to the salon.

He walked into the salon. He found it ridiculous how woman would go so far in order to become _beautiful_. He liked women who were confident with their look. So far, he only met two: Matsumoto and Hinamori.

Matsumoto, he would never in any lifetime fall for. Hinamori was a sister, no other type of love there. He didn't know what Karin was like but from the attitude she has displayed whenever she was with him, she seemed to be rather confident of herself.

"What did you do to me?!" a voice so new but familiar to Hitsugaya sounded.

Hitsugaya turned to see one of the most beautiful girls he had ever seen. His eyes opened wide and his mouth dropped. He could even feel a little bit of red coming to his cheeks. Matsumoto was playing with her clothes and hair.

"Don't you look so delightful!" Matsumoto sounded. "And look! Captain is here!"

The girl turned to face Hitsugaya fully. He had only seen the profile of her face. Now that he was looking her full in the face, his head started to get light. What was this feeling?

"K-karin?" he uttered.

Karin's hair had been put up into small curls. Her eyes had a light black outline around it and mascara. Light pink lip gloss had been put on. Her cheeks had some blush on it making it look like she was naturally blushing. Her nails and toenails had been painted a midnight blue.

Matsumoto stood next to her and she looked so proud of herself. "What do you think, Captain?" she said happily. "I did a pretty bang up job right?"

All Hitsugaya could do was stutter.

Karin looked angry and a vein popped out of her forehead. "Now, I didn't think I looked _that _bad!" she muttered.

Hitsugaya finally gained control over his composure. "Y-you look nice," he stuttured.

Now Matsumoto looked mad. She put her right hand in a fist and knocked it on Hitsugaya's head.

"Nice?" she shouted. "Just nice! Don't ever say that to a girl that went under major changes just to please you."

"W-whoa," Karin said. "I didn't do this for _him_! I didn't even want to do this."

Karin turned away from the two of them and walked out the door. She hadn't expected to see him being so rude by just gaping. She didn't look that much different.

She looked at her nails. She liked the midnight blue color.

_Damn!_ she thought. _What is Yuzu going to say when she sees me? She going to be absolutely thrilled. _

Karin slapped her forehead. Never again will she go shopping with Matsumoto if this was the result. She would have to do her _own_ shopping tomorrow. She just hoped that Matsumoto wouldn't show up.

Karin looked at the fork in the road. She could either go to the left, leading to her house or the right to the river. She would prefer the river. Maybe if she got home at night her father and sister wouldn't notice the difference in her appearance. (Of course they will, but that's besides the point.)

She finally reached the river. She plopped down and stared at the sky. The sun was already starting to set. How long had Matsumoto kept her captive?

She could feel someone coming. This was surprising. She didn't see them or hear them but she could just tell someone was coming. This normally only worked on hollows. She turned her head to see who it was. Hitsugaya.

"What do you want?" she asked him as he alighted in the grass next to her.

"Nothing much," he responded and sat down, staring at the water.

Karin and Hitsugaya sat in total silence for a while. Karin felt like the silence was killing her. Suffocating and pulling out all of her energy. She could think of a million topic starters but she didn't have the guts to start the conversation.

By the time they started to talk about something, the sun had set and the moon had risen.

"So about that kiss," Hitsugaya being the one to start the conversation, surprisingly. "I'm really sorry about that."

Karin turned to him, surprised. "Why are you sorry?" she asked. "It was a 'nice' kiss." She said, putting air quotes around the nice.

"Well, it wasn't my place," he said. "After all, I am older than you."

Karin laughed. "You don't look like it," she laughed."No matter how old you _say_ you are, you still look like a grade schooler."

Hitsugaya's vein popped out. "Just you wait!" he said annoyed. "I'll eventually grow."

Karin smiled slyly. "To what?" she asked. "A teenager? That's not much better."

The air got colder around Hitsugaya. Karin could feel it. Damn skirt! It was flying up. She pushed it down with her hands. Another reason to not wear ridiculous things like skirts.

"Sorry," she said. He looked really mad at this point. "I'm just teasing."

She looked at him and he had only a frown on his face.

"By the way," he muttered. He moved in his spot and seemed rather uncomfortable. "I-uh- sort of lied when I said that you looked nice. You don't....you look beautiful..."

Karin smiled happily. She kissed his cheek. "Thanks, but this is too girly for my taste," she laughed. She laughed even more when there was a lip gloss stain on Hitsugaya's cheek and he was turning red.

"I have to go," she continued while standing up. "Yuzu will be worried if I don't get home in time for dinner."

Hitsugaya just nodded with his bright red face.

Karin walked away.

Hitsugaya stared at her back. He liked the skull leather jacket. It was interesting. His cell phone beeped.

Karin turned back.

"Look out!" Hitsugaya shouted.

Karin turned slowly. Behind her was another monster but it looked different from the one last time. **(I can't describe one effectively so fyi it is an Adjuchas) **It had large horns on its head. That's all Karin got from looking at him...before it sliced her side open.

The last things she saw was Hitsugaya jumping out of his body and slicing the monster in half. He rushed over to her.

"Karin?" he asked. "Are you okay?"

She started to close her eyes slowly. At least that is what she thought. Her vision had just gone blank and she couldn't make the outlines of anyone.

"T-toushiro?"

* * *

_some time later_

Karin woke up on the dirt next to an old house. It was like a shack. The view was amazing from where she lay. She could see the sky perfectly. _The sky..._ She looked to left.

She yelped in surprise. Right in her face was a wrinkled old face. "Aah!" she screeched. "W-who are you?"

"Just call me Granny, child," she said happily. "It's been a while since I've had a young'un living with me!"

The old lady peered into Karin's face. "What's your name, child?" she asked.

Karin couldn't remember. "I don't remember," she said.

The old lady looked at her. "Don't you remember any name?" she asked.

Karin thought hard. She could feel a name coming up. _Toushiro...Hitsugaya...._ That didn't sound like a girl's name. So far, Karin could tell she was girl so she knew that it couldn't be her name. Maybe it was a friend or brother.

"No can't remember any," she sighed.

She looked around her. This place looked really old. There wasn't anything new here. She looked at her clothes. She had a faint memory of being in a skirt and pink top but she couldn't tell. She couldn't make heads or tails of it. She looked at her surroundings again. They looked like they were in a field. It was really pretty.

"W-where am I?" she asked.

She looked up into the grand old lady's face. "Why dear," she said kindly. "you're in Soul Society."

* * *

Sorry, this was a really lame chapter....but if you think so to, just...ur don't tell me....


	4. Chapter 4: Granny, Soccer, and Jokes

Yeah, sorry if the story is going WAY to fast. I actually wanted Karin to be hit by a bus after she and toushiro kissed....i think i like the hollow death better. she could die of some ...uh dignity. :D

* * *

_back in the real world_

Hitsugaya stood at the edge of the road. There was a vase of flowers set out for the girl who had died there. _Karin..._

He gazed sadly at the spot. He hadn't been quick enough to have saved her. Instead of saying 'look out!' he should have gotten out of his gigai and killed the beast right there. Something about Karin just made him not act rational. He plucked a flower from nearby and placed it in the vase. He kind of smiled to himself. He realized there was good news and bad news.

The good news was that he could see her in Soul Society. The bad news was that finding her wouldn't be too easy. Rukongai is a _huge_ place. Where under Earth could she be? **(i've always been confused about this. is soul society under the real world in an alternate dimension?)**

Hitsugaya sat down in thought. Where would the first place to look for her begin? He had never tried to search for anyone. He had never liked anyone the way he liked Karin. He guessed he could ask friends in Rukongai to look for an eleven year old black haired girl, but that was too broad a subject. Plus, he had no friends in Rukongai. He had his Granny but that was it. He guessed he could ask her, but she almost never left the old shack where they use to live.

_Damn, I have to tell Kurosaki about this, _he thought. _Telling the family about it wasn't too pleasant._

Indeed, it wasn't.

* * *

_flashback_

Yuzu was preparing dinner, Karin's favorite, when she heard the doorbell ring. She checked the temperature of the stove so it wouldn't go up in flames while she went to get the door.

"Dad!" she yelled. "Can you watch dinner for me?"

Her dad came in dancing. He swung his hips from side to side while rotating around.

"Sure!" he sang. "An-y-thing for ma wit-tle girl!"

He skipped to the stove. Yuzu had a feeling he would burn himself. He always insisted on tasting the food aka picking it up with his bare hands and getting second degree burns.

Yuzu wiped her hands on the apron she always wore when cooking. She opened the front door.

"Um," she said, rather surprised at seeing a white haired boy on her doorstep. The white hair caught her eye that she didn't notice what was in his arms. When she realized staring at someone's hair was rather rude, she looked at her feet. The line of sight from his hair to her feet made her see the body in his arms.

"K-karin?" she whispered. "KARIN!"

"Is our other wittle girl home?" Dad sang skipping over. He stopped in his tracks when he saw the body of his dead baby girl.

He looked up, his eyes flashing with anger, at the boy carrying her.

"Did you do this?" he demanded to know, his voice rising.

"No," Hitsugaya said with guilt at having to tell a former Shinigami Captain whom he once trained with. "A monster did, Isshin."

Isshin, the father, knew then what 'monster' was. He knew of course because he was a Shinigami. He now had lost two of his loved ones. All because he wasn't able to save them in time.

* * *

_back in present_

Hitsugaya had left Karin's body in Isshin's arms and walked away. He couldn't stand to see the, he suspected twin sister, cry at the lost of Karin. He also felt he had failed Isshin. Isshin had been a classmate after all. They trained together in the Shinigami Academy. They were able to spar neck and neck and both were not so great at kidou. Hitsugaya graduated earlier than Isshin though.

He hoped that the two would hold a memorial or funeral or something to honor Karin. He walked back to the spot of her death. When he reached the spot, he stopped in his tracks.

"Matsumoto?"

The big chested woman was crying. "W-we o-only j-just g-g-got-ten to k-know her!" she bawled.

Matsumoto was also very aware of how hard it was to find someone in the Soul Society. She felt that she lost Karin forever. She felt an attachment to the girl. One could become good friends over the bond of loving to shop...actually one could bond over the fact one had dragged the other to shop, but that's not Matsumoto's point.

Hitsugaya stood next to Matsumoto. "Relax," he commanded. "you don't know that. We may well see her very soon."

Hitsugaya was going to try and do everything in his power to find her. No one kisses him and vanishes. Hollow or no hollow.

Matsumoto brightened. "Great!" she said recovering with such speed. "Cuz, I have a plan!"

Hitsugaya froze. _Uh oh.

* * *

_

_in Soul Society at Granny's house_

Karin sat on the porch to the shack like house. She felt very comfortable with Granny. She was nice and sweet. Karin watched the sun rise. She had woken up so early in the morning. She just couldn't stand the scary dreams she had been having. They were so disturbing. She had dreams of a large monster with bulky horns cutting open her side, from ankle to shoulder. She shuddered.

The only good thing about that dream was in the end, the same white haired boy with large sea green eyes would rescue her. Time after time. Then her dream would descend into darkness and she would wake up. Each after she woke up, the same name would appear in her head. _Toushiro....Hitsugaya_.

She couldn't take the dreams anymore. They frightened her. She wanted to tell Granny about the dreams and the name but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Something warned her not to. She didn't know what is was but she couldn't do it. The last time she asked Granny something, Granny had started to have a glisten in her eye and a tear on the brink.

_"Granny?" Karin asked. "Did you ever have any children of your own?"_

_Granny nodded. "Yes, I had a wonderful son and wonderful daughter in law."_

_"Really? What were they like?"_

_"Well my daughter in law had beautiful sea green eyes and amazing gold hair. My son had brown hair that was unruly and spiked all over the place and large blue eyes."_

_"Did they ever have a child?"_

_Granny smiled. Karin noted it was a sad smile. "One grandson."_

_"Whatever happened to him?"_

_"He left and became a Shinigami."_

_"What's that?"_

_"They protect all of us from hollows who are big scary monsters."_

_"I want to become one! It sounds great."_

_"No, child, that was the biggest mistake I made. Letting my grandson become one."_

_"Why?"_

_"I never saw him again."_

"Child?"

Karin snapped out of her thoughts and looked up at the sky again. The clouds were always so round and fluffy. She wished she could fly up there to see them closer.

"Yes, Granny?"

"I have watermelons, do you want some?"

Karin smiled. Granny always had watermelons. "Sure."

Karin got up and went inside. On the table was a large bowl of watermelons. She picked one of the numerous slices up and took a large chunk out of it.

"Thanks, Granny," she said with her mouth full. "It tastes delicious."

Granny took a seat across from where Karin stood, devouring the watermelon. "Glad you like it," she said smiling. "My grandson loved watermelons." Granny looked like she was about to start crying again. Karin changed the subject.

"Is it okay if I walk around Rukongai for a while?" she asked.

"Okay, child. Just make sure you come back."

After Karin ate all of the watermelons she could hold, she ran out the door. She had never really seen Rukongai. She didn't really want to. Something about Granny made her stay with her. She seemed like a lonely old woman. She wished she could help her in finding her son. If her son became a Shinigami, shouldn't she become one too to find him? She wouldn't abandon her like he did.

She was so lost in her subconscious that she didn't see the boy in front of her. She full on crashed into him, making her fall down. He fell down too.

"Watch where you're going, bitch," he commanded, still looking forward. He turned his head, his butt sticking out.

"S-sorry," Karin uttered. She hated how mean some people were.

His eyes opened in shock. He quickly stood up and wiped off the dirt from his butt. He held out a hand. Karin stared at it.

"When you hold out a hand, you grab it," he instructed smiling.

Karin grabbed his hand and hoisted herself up. He went through attitudes quickly. She just wanted to walk away. She kept her feelings to herself and curled the corners of her mouth into a fake smile.

"Thanks," she said while wiping off her own butt.

"The name's Toyokawa Shota," the boy said, holding out his hand to shake. "What's yours?"

Karin smiled sadly, just like Granny. "I don't know," she said, looking at the floor.

"Oh," he said, dropping his hand. "You don't remember?"

"No," Karin said.

"Ah well," Shota said. "I'll just call ya Girl."

Karin laughed. She was called child and now girl. She needed to find her own true name. "Okay."

"What do ya like to do, girl?" Shota asked.

"Uh," Karin wondered. She couldn't think of any games she liked to do. "I don't know."

Shota hung his head and smiled weakly. "I'll teach you a game," he decided, standing up straight. "It's called soccer. I bet you'll love it."

Karin smiled back. "Okay."

* * *

Hitsugaya was called back after the Arrancar had captured Inoue. He decided to start looking for her. He was glad that since Captain-Commander Yamamoto had called them all back, he didn't have to tell Kurosaki the bad news. He would find out from Yuzu, rescue Inoue, and then kill Hitsugaya later.

Hitsugaya lay on the couch in front of his desk. Where to begin?

Matsumoto was deeply concerned about her captain. None of her jokes or pranks could get him to yell at her. He had changed ever since Karin had died. She understood slightly though. He had been abandoned (well actually she had been taken away) by Karin and all he could think about was finding her. She had felt the exact same way about Gin. He was after all the first person she had met. He saved her from succumbing to starvation. The normal pranks didn't work.

She had put puppies in his room, he quickly discarded them in the hall. Matsumoto had to clean up their little 'messes.'

She toilet papered the room, he froze them and made them break into tiny little shards. Matsumoto had to sweep out all of it before they melted and made the whole room wet.

She even went to the extremes and held a party. He blew everyone out with the ice cold wind reiatsu of had been hit full blast and now she had scratches. They hurt a lot.

_At least most of those people were drunk. They'll feel it in the morning._

She stood behind the couch that Hitsugaya was lying on. She leaned over so her breasts spilled out, suffocating Hitsugaya.

"Matsumoto!" he yelled. "I'm not in the mood for your jokes."

But Matsumoto wasn't done yet.

She had gotten Hinamori to help her out too. Hinamori had just gotten better after being left by Aizen, she could understand some of the pain.

They both had left a huge amount of watermelons on his desk. They felt it would make him feel better. He ate them all in like one gulp but he still didn't even remotely smile.

Hinamori brought him an ice sculpture of a dragon but he cut it in half with his Zanpaktou. _Uh oh, _Hinamori thought. _That was actually in Byakuya's garden. I hope he won't notice. _

_..._

"Something's missing," Byakuya said looking at the place where the ice sculpture once stood. "What was it?"

...

Hinamori took the ice sculpture and threw it in the nearest garbage bin.

Matsumoto poked her head around the corner. "Any luck?" she asked.

"No."

Matsumoto came around the corner. "I think the only thing to cheer him up is finding Karin."

"Yes."

Matsumoto walked to the window and opened it. "I'll look in Rukongai's 1st District. You take the rest."

Hinamori stood shocked. "Wait a minute!"It was just like her to dump all the work on someone else.

Matsumoto was already out the window and on her way.

Hinamori stomped her foot and headed to the 79th District.

* * *

Karin and Shota were in a meadow far away from Rukongai.

"Why did we come so far away?" Karin asked.

"This is the only place where it is quiet and large, just like a soccer field."

"Oh."

Shota then went onto teaching Karin how to play the game. When Karin thought she understood, they started playing. Karin got the ball first. She ran towards Shota. He tried to block her but she dodged him easily. Shota fell on his face. She kicked the ball in between the two trees that they had decided would be Shota's goal. Karin smiled victorious.

"Wow," Shota whistled. "You're good. Did you ever play soccer in the real world?"

Karin thought about it. She could feel a memory rising up from the depths of her brain.

_The same white haired boy hero passing her the ball. She kicks it and she scores on a taller looking person. Some boys crowd around her and the white haired boy, cheering. The boy just has a blank expression. _

_"Toushiro, it's all thanks to you," Karin tells the boy. _

_"You scored the winning goal, didn't you." He looked like he could care less._

_"More importantly, I have something to discuss."_

_"Wh-what is it?"_

_"Earlier you..."_

_Another large monster shows up. It looked as frightening as the one in her nightmares. It smashes a hole in the soccer field, knocking everyone out. Hitsugaya pushes Karin out of the way. It tries to pick up the boys. _

_"Guys!" Karin calls._

_"Wait, don't go."_

_"Toushiro, you can see it?"_

_"I'll explain later. For now, just run for it."_

_"No, I can't let my friends get hurt." _

_Karin kicks the soccer ball as hard as she could. It gently hits the side of the monster's face. Nothing happens. _

_The monster balls up his left fist and smashes it down. Karin closes her eyes. She opens them to see the white haired boy in black kimono with a white haori on top with the number, ten on the back . She envisions an orange haired teenager with the same black kimono on. _Ichi-nii...._What?_

"Girl?" a voice calls out to her. "Are you there?"

Karin snaps out of it and turns to Shota. He had retrieved the soccer ball.

"Huh?"

"You were staring into space."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Karin ran towards him and kicked the ball out from under neath his foot. She could feel something evil....the pressure on her mind was light. It hurt her head. She looked to her right. _That way..._

Shota was looking in that direction as well. "Can you feel it too?" he asked Karin.

"Yeah."

"Let's go see!" Shota started to run in the direction.

Karin yelled for him to stop. He wouldn't so she picked up the ball and ran after him. "Stop, Shota!"

He did stop but not before they both saw a huge monster.

"What is that?" Karin asked. It wasn't as scary as the ones in her dreams.

"It's a hollow."

"The thing that Shinigami kill?"

"Yes."

The hollow turned towards them and charged. Karin, out of instinct, dropped the ball and kicked the Hollow in the head. The hollow gave a yelp and started to disintegrate.

Shota turned his head in amazement at Karin. "That was so cool!" he yelled. "How did you do that?"

Karin ran to the ball and picked it up. "I..don't know."

"I've been thinking about this for a while now but I didn't want to go into it alone," Shota started. "How about we become Shinigami together?"

Karin nodded. "Sounds good." She liked the feeling of killing the evil creature. It had almost killed the two of them.

Part One on finding Granny's grandson was about to begin.

* * *

Please review! I am going to try and take it slow now!

Also, I think I am going to fast with this story (my brain is overloading with ideas) and so I think I'm going to put a new chapter like every week or so.


	5. Chapter 5: Aimi and the Academy

Thanks for all the reviews!!! It's great that you think this story is nice! So happy! :')

* * *

Karin was at home with Granny. She had just told her the news of her going to join the Shinigami Academy with Shota. Granny had finally agreed to it. She rejected the very thought of the idea at first, but she loved Karin like a daughter and hoped that she would be happy as a Shinigami. She thought that Karin was too energetic too be cooped up in Rukongai.

"You'll come home once in a while right, child?" Granny asked.

"Of course, Granny," she said. "Hopefully I can bring back your grandson as well."

Granny smiled sadly. "All we can do is hope." She gently grabbed Karin's arm before she was heading out the door. She pulled her to the small table and asked her to sit down. "Have some food before you go."

"Of course!" Karin said, sitting down. "I'm always hungry for some reason.."

Granny went into the small kitchen and opened the cupboard. She turned around to smile at Karin before she disappeared, probably to get the food. "I have faith in you, child," Karin could hear her say, although she always had a soft voice and was already muffled by her looking around for some food.

"Really?" Karin called out. Granny had hearing problems.

"Of course, child." Granny said and put down a fresh bowl full of fruit in front of her. "Here, have some watermelons."

Karin laughs. "Thanks, Granny."

"Your welcome, child."

Karin ate all the watermelons. "I have to go now, Granny." She picked up the bowl to wash it in the sink. She quickly dried it (meaning that it was still really wet) and put it on the cupboard.

"Of course, child." Granny said. When Karin left the kitchen, Granny took the plate out of the cupboard and dried it again, making sure it wasn't at all wet.

Karin looked at Granny. "I have to have a name in order to register to the Shinigami Academy," she told Granny.

"Oh? What did you choose?" Granny and Karin both knew that Karin didn't know her real name.

"Karin," Karin said. "Don't you think it's a nice name?" Karin had a dream about the white-haired boy calling her that. She hoped that it really was her name. She liked the way her hero had said it. She smiled a little.

"What about a last name?" Granny inquired.

"I could only think of one name," Karin sighed. "Hitsugaya." It was what she called the white haired boy constantly. She liked the name. It had a nice ring to it.

Granny froze. She had a clear look of shock. "I don't remember telling you my last name," she practically whispered.

"You never did," Karin confirmed with Granny. "It's your last name?"

"Yes."

"I'll just go with the another name." It was a shame, Karin really liked that name.

"It's okay if you want to use it."

Karin shook her head. "No thanks. I am not that lucky to have been born into your family. I'll just go with..." She thought of the name _Kurosaki_ spontaneously. "Kurosaki." Maybe it was another figment of her imagination, just like the white-haired boy.

"Strong name, child." Granny nodded approvingly.

Karin smiled. It does sound like a very strong name. She now had a name. She smiled happily.

"Karin?" a voice that belonged to Shota said."You ready to go? Did you finish the enrollment papers?"

Karin said good bye to her grandmother and went outside to see Shota waiting for her on the steps. "Yes and yes," she said cheerfully. Maybe if she found Granny's grandson, Granny would be more cheerful. Maybe...just maybe. Karin could tell that most of the time Granny's smiles were sad and fake smiles.

Karin and Shota made their way to the Shinigami Academy. It was a long walk but pleasant. Karin really enjoyed Shota's company. Just like she had a brother. When they finally reached the Academy, she noticed a large crowd of teenagers, children, and adults gathered. Shota and Karin walked up to the back of the crowd.

"What are we gathering for?" Karin asked the nearest person to her. It was a short girl with a hoodie on. The girl didn't even look up. She must be shy. Karin could just hear her faint voice.

"We are waiting to go into the Academy. Everyone here are applicants."

Karin looked around. She sure hoped she wouldn't have to compete with all of this people just to get in. Most of the male adults looked buff and rather threatening.

They stood outside with all the other new applicants, waiting for something to happen. In front of them was a rather large man. He had a nice shiny bald head. Karin had to keep herself from laughing. The sun reflected off it. Karin could almost swear she could see herself on his head.

Shota's sides were shaking beside her. Karin turned to look at him. His head was down but from the uplifting of his cheekbones, she knew what he was shaking from. She had thought he was scared but as she looked closer she saw him holding back laughter like crazy. He soon had to clasp his hand against his mouth to keep himself from being noticed.

"Do you think he's bald or shaven?" Karin asked, whispering, she wasn't laughing as much. It was like this was his first time seeing someone bald before.

"Most definitely bald."

"You two midgets!" the assumed bald headed man said to Karin and Shota. "Why don't you tell us all what you're laughing about?"

Karin and Shota stopped laughing. "We aren't laughing about anything, sir," he was WAY stronger than them. No way were they going to risk it by asking him if he was bald.

"I am Gengoro Onabara!" the bald man boomed. "I will watch over your entrance exam. Hurry up and show me that you guys have the skills to become Shinigami!"

Karin and Shota started their entrance exams. The boys and girls were testing in different gender groups.

The first test was the kidou. They had to display their amount of spirit power. Karin was able to create a large basketball shaped ball of spiritual energy in her hand while Shota's was only size of an American football.

In the sparring part, Karin easily overpowered her opponent. She had practice from beating up her dad all the time. Fighting with wooden swords was a snap. All she had to do was to hit her opponent once and she would pass that exam.

Finally, at the end, Onabara told them who passed the entrance exam and who didn't. Quite a few didn't pass and that made Karin feel bad. The opponent she had faced in sparring was crying out in the lot. When Karin saw her she didn't feel so sorry anymore. If she was crying about some entrance exam, she would not stand a chance against Hollows. The Shinigami had to be strong, brave, and quick. That's all there was to it. At least that is what Shota told her. They met up at the entrance to the Academy.

"Did you pass?" Karin asked Shota when she had finally saw him.

"Duh!" Shota exclaimed. "I bet you did too. It wouldn't be a surprise. We both have amazingly high spiritual power."

"Who do you think did better?" Karin asked, flattered by his compliment.

"Obviously me!" Shota bragged.

"Come on! He told me that I was an 'excellent' student."

"Yeah, well he told me that I was 'awesome.'"

"He was probably being nice."

"Yup-w-wait...hey!!"

Karin laughed heartily.

"What class are you in?" Shota asked.

"The advanced one, I think it's called 'Class 1'."

"What!? I am in the Class 2. Shoot! We're not going to study together."

Karin smiled broadly. "I told you he called me 'excellent!' That's why I'm in the higher class."

Shota tried to punch her. Karin easily dodged it and punched him in the gut. HE coughed a little.

"See why, now?" she whispered in his ear and took her hand away from his stomach.

Shota smiled and nodded. He then looked her over. "You look nice in your uniform."

Upon learning that the two of them would be joining the Academy, they had been given a school uniform. They had to change into it immediatly. Karin looked down at her red shitagai (undershirt) and hakama (trousers) and her white kosode (shirt). Then she looked at her white socks and sandals. She thought it looked good on her. It was also nice to not have to walk around barefoot everywhere.

She then glanced at Shota. He was wearing the same outfit but the color scheme was white and blue not red. She thought that it looked nice. They were both pretty short considering how they were so young, but the outfits didn't drag on floor behind them.

"I'm going to go to my dorm," Karin said. Onabara had said something about it that they needed to go to their dorms in order to place some belongings and such before the welcoming ceremony. Karin didn't really want to go.

"I'll come with."

"Tsk tsk," Karin said. "You can't possibly want to go into a _girls'_ dorm now, would you?"

Shota's face got really red when Karin said that. "N-no, of course not," he muttered. "I'll go to my own."

"Are you going to the welcoming ceremony?" Karin asked. Maybe she would go if Shota was going as well.

Shota frowned. He wanted to go but the way that Karin said it made it seem that she wasn't interested. "No."

Karin smiled. "Smart. Meet you back here tomorrow?"

"Sure."

* * *

Karin headed towards the girls' dorms. She looked around. There wasn't many people around. They must all be outside or doing something with their free time before all the studying began. Either that or heading on down to the welcoming ceremony. She looked for an empty room she could call her own.

When she got closer to the doors she noticed how they had names on them. She looked for hers. She wondered how they had put the names on the doors so quickly. She guessed there must be some really quick people as their dorm mothers or something.

She walked down the hall on her left to look for her door. It wasn't too far. Her last (and first) name did start with a 'K'. She found it quickly. She stood outside the door reaching for the handle to go in.

"Hi!" a voice sounded next to her. Karin jumped.

She looked to her left. A short girl with bright purple hair had her head poked out of the door next to Karin. Karin couldn't help but stare at her purple hair. That was new.

"I'm Aimi, you asked me about the crowd earlier," the girl said, stepping out of her room. "and you are...."

"Karin." This was the girl with the hoodie. She seems to be much happier now. What was with that?

"Nice name!" Aimi gushed. "Are you as excited as I am at being here?"

Karin nodded. The child-like girl was wearing the standard uniform and she had bright blue eyes. She was beautiful and she seemed to have lots of energy. When Aimi stood in front of Karin, she could tell that Aimi was even shorter than herself. Karin looked at the door. It said 'Naoko Aimi.' (Beautiful, honest child :P)

"Hmm," Karin mumbled. "nice name. I wonder if it is her real one."

Aimi followed Karin's line of sight. "Ah, my name," she muttered. She looked at Karin. "It is my real name, unfortunately. I hate it whenever I tell people my name."

Karin was puzzled. "Why?"

Aimi smiled weakly. "They think they can take advantage of me."

Karin gave another weak smile. "Not as long as I am around."

After that Karin and Aimi became best friends, but more on that later.

Aimi clapped her hands together. "Are you going to the welcoming ceremony?" she asked Karin. "I hear a captain and lieutenant are coming to see us."

Karin smiled. Now she was definitely going. "Maybe I will," she said. "It would be very interesting. Seeing a captain."

"How old are you anyway, Aimi?" Karin asked. She was so curious the girl looked around eight, nine.

"I haven't grown since I was 14," Aimi answer.

"You're 14?!"

"Don't sound so shocked!" Aimi pouted with a vein popped out.

"Sorry."

Aimi pouted. "Let's go see the captain now," she grumbled and heading towards the outside of the dorm.

Karin wanted to see her dorm first. She opened the door and looked inside quickly. There was a small kitchen and closet. The rest of the room was a living room/bedroom/dining room. It was small and neat. There was bookshelf in the corner. It was loaded with a bunch of books. Most of them Karin had no interest in reading.

"Are you coming, Karin?" Aimi's voice boomed outside the dorm.

Karin sighed. This girl could really talk.

**(mwahaha! I am in the story.)**

* * *

Matsumoto stood on a rooftop in the 1st District. The ash on the rooftop from the chimney spun around her feet. She was too busy looking around for Hitsugaya to notice.

"Where is that girl?" she asked ignorantly. "Where in the world could she be hiding? Matsumoto had already looked all over for her in just the 1st District. She decided to stop and report back to Seireitei. Maybe Hinamori found her.

She sprinted back to Seireitei. She found Hinamori waiting for her in the 10th Squad's office. Hitsugaya was no where to be seen.

"Did you find her?"

"No. Did you sense her reiatsu?"

"No."

"Well she can't be far."

They heard the door sliding as someone had entered the room. It was Hitsugaya. He sulked to his desk and sat down before turning his attention to the two lieutenants in his office.

"We have to go to the Shinigami Academy and greet the new students."

Matsumoto pouted. "Why?" she whined. "Who cares about the new students? Let's wait until they have a ceremony about the Shinigami graduates." She wanted to look for Karin some more first.

Hitsugaya's vein popped out. "Matsumoto!" he yelled.

Matsumoto flicked her hand. "Fine, fine," she responded.

Hitsugaya took a seat at his desk. He pulled out a brush and ink and started on the paperwork.

"You should get to work too, Matsumoto, Hinamori," Hitsugaya commanded.

"Yes, Shiro-chan."

"It's Captain Hitsugaya to you now."

Matsumoto stared in disbelief. She had never heard her captain so cold before. And he was cold very often. Normally whenever Hinamori called him this he would not sound this sad and commanding.

Hinamori looked on the verge of crying. Matsumoto led her out into the hall and closed the door behind her.

"Don't mind Hitsugaya."

"He has become even colder. Have you noticed how the room has gotten colder since she died in the real world?"

"Yes. All we can do now is hope that she'll turn up somewhere. Well I have to go and put makeup on before we go to the welcoming ceremony."

Hinamori smiled. Matsumoto was still the same. That was a relief. "Okay, I have to go and report back to my squad," she said, leaving towards the direction of the 5th Squad's quarters. "We really need a strong captain. I can't make all the decisions myself."

As Hinamori disappeared around the corner, Matsumoto stood there looking out the window. She sighed. Where was Karin? She gazed upon all of Seireitei and then looked outwards to Rukongai.

"Karin, where could you have gone?" she muttered to herself.

She walked to her room and got out lots of makeup and things like that. She couldn't wait to go and greet the new students. They'll be able to gaze upon her beauty and style. She looked in the mirror of her bathroom for a final check before she walked out of her quarters.

When she had applying the finishing touches to herself, she went back to the office and found Hitsugaya still working on paperwork. He was in the exact same position as he was before, maybe he moved an inch. Matsumoto sighed. She walked closer to the desk.

As she got a good look at her captain she noticed how much paler he was now. There were dark circles under his eyes and she could tell how his hair was even more unruly now. He hadn't been getting enough sleep now a days.

"What do you want, Matsumoto?" Hitsugaya asked, he could feel her gaze on him.

"It's time to go."

"Fine."

Hitsugaya put away the brush and ink. He put all the papers together and stood up from his chair.

_He's like a robot now_, Matsumoto noticed.

Hitsugaya started to leave the room she noticed how there was a blanket and pillow in the office. It was stacked neatly on the shelves of the bookshelf. _Had he been sleeping here?_ Matsumoto had no time to investigate, she didn't want to keep her captain waiting on her. They made their way to the Shinigami Academy.

* * *

Karin walked to the entrance of the Shinigami Academy with Aimi at her side. She saw Shota's backside and rushed to stand beside him.

"So you heard too?" she asked.

"Yeah," Shota said. "Who's this?"

He noticed Aimi standing shyly next to Karin.

"This is Aimi."

Aimi smiled at Shota. _He's cute..._

Shota looked at the girl. She thought she was beautiful but not as beautiful as Karin. She seemed nice though. Maybe they could be friends.

"Come on," Aimi said excitedly. "Let's go to the front of the line."

Aimi grabbed Karin's arm while Karin grabbed Shota's. Aimi led the way as the group pushed their way to the front of the line. Aimi and Shota looked down the line.

"There is the captain and he's really cute!" Aimi squealed.

Shota looked at the captain. "Wow," he whistled. "he's so small."

Aimi hit Shota's arm. "Like you're so much taller!"

Shota smiled at Aimi. "I am...by a few inches at least."

Aimi scoffed. "Yeah, like one."

Shota scoffed this time. "Hey, even you are shorter than him."

Aimi looked offended. "Not by that much."

Shota laughed. Her turned to Karin. She was trying to look down the line but Shota was blocking her line of sight. He leaned back. "Sorry, Karin, your turn to see."

Karin looked down the line.

Karin's eyes opened in the shock.

Her mouth gaped open.

The dreams and memories came flooding back to her.

The soccer match.

The hollow.

The practice.

The sky.

The kiss.

The adjuchas.

The white haired hero.

* * *

Hitsugaya walked down the line, he kept his head high. He looked straight forward. He didn't look at the teachers or the new students. He didn't really want to be here at the Academy. But he had to keep up an appearance.

Matsumoto walked sully behind him. The welcoming ceremonies were so boring! The whole thing was just the new student being put made to stand in straight lines on the side of the pathway keeping a pretty large distance from them and the captain and lieutenant.

They were so silent. Matsumoto didn't dare make any squeaky or clicking noise with her heels. She bet she looked funny, taking neat and slow steps to help sustain the maddening silence.

She looked from left to right. She hoped that someone's face would make her laugh. Of course, due to the fact they all had to stay completely silent, she would laugh on the inside. That might uplift her distaste for this whole ritual. Maybe for the next hundreds years, they didn't have to come back here.

That's when Matsumoto saw her. She was staring at Hitsugaya, as if she was trying to recall something. She probably felt Matsumoto's gaze on her, because she turned her head to face her. She was looking at Matsumoto with little interest. She had a faint sense of recognition, but she was more interested, it seems, in Matsumoto's captain.

Matsumoto smiled broadly. She wished she had sake to celebrate this moment. Well, she'll hold a huge party later. All on Hitsugaya's tab of course.

"Captain."

Hitsugaya stopped and looked back at Matsumoto. They were half way there. He didn't understand why she wanted to stop midway. The sooner he got to the Academy, the sooner he could just disappear and run off to find somewhere to sit and look at the sky. Maybe to devise a plan to find Karin. Yet he had to waste time by looking back at his lieutenant.

She was looking at something that made her smile like she had won the golden prize. Hitsugaya sighed and he looked at what Matsumoto was looking at. Then he saw her too. She had the same black hair, but now it had reached past her shoulders. Well, it had been months since she had come to the Soul Society. It probably grew in that time. She even looked a little older, if that was possible. Her blue eyes still looked pretty.

His mouth flicked upwards in a smile. He felt insanely happy. _He had found her..._

_Karin....  
_


	6. Chapter 6: Unresolved Things

Karin stared at the boy stood that across from her. He was smiling now. Why did his attitude change so quickly? She noticed that he was sort of rushing through the procession. She smiled a little. He acted like he didn't want to be here. His lieutenant was also acting in the same way. She wondered why he was so sad when she saw him walking up. She could feel his reiatsu, it was like deja vu. Why did it seem so familiar? She did have dreams about him but how could she know what his reiatsu felt like? As far as she was concerned, he was just a coincidence although he had been in her nightmares and memories. Karin was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice what was about to happen next. If she did, she might have been able to save her some pain.

"Karin!" a booming female voice sounded.

The next thing Karin knows, she is being suffocated by enormous boobs. She gasped for air. How thick was these boobs? The woman was strong enough without the help of the largeness.

Karin pushed off the woman with the enormous boobs and looked at her face. More memories came flooding to her. Karin tried to fight them back. She already had a memory overload. She didn't need any more of it.

_She was in a store. All along the sides were rows and rows of clothes that only girls would want. Well, most girls. Karin wasn't too thrilled about being in the shop. She looked at all the clothes after clothes, hoping to find something she would wear. Nothing was grabbing her attention so far.  
_

_"Karin!" the booming female voice said again. "Come here, I found the cutest pink top. I bet you'll love it."  
_

_"Matsumoto, I hate the color pink," Karin replied, flicking through a rack of jeans. They were all embroidered or had some type of stones on them.  
_

_"How can anyone hate the color pink?" Matsumoto asked. She was thinking Karin was absolutely insane. "Just come and see."_

_Karin sighed and followed the sound of Matsumoto's voice. She glanced over racks and then pushed aside some clothes, hoping to see through the small gap in between for the tall woman. She finally found her in the back of the store, near the dressing rooms. Matsumoto was holding up a spaghetti strapped pink top with frills on the bottom. Karin's **silver-grey **eyes twitched. Was Matsumoto serious?  
_

_"Not my style." Karin turned her back on Matsumoto, and started to glance through yet another rack. How large was this store exactly?  
_

_Regardless of Karin's cold attitude, Matsumoto grabbed her by the shoulders, forced her into a dressing room, and threw the top over the door. "Just put it on!" she commanded. "Your top is too small for you anyway. You look like you don't have enough money to buy a new one. You need a new shirt that actually fits you."_

_Karin, frustrated, pulled off her too small shirt and put on the pink one. She walked out of the dressing stall and stood in front of Matsumoto. _

_"How do I look?" she asked.  
_

_"So cute!" Matsumoto cooed__._

_Karin looked around the store for a mirror. She doesn't trust Matsumoto's word completely. _

_Karin sighed. There were no mirrors in sight. Maybe that was all a clever ploy by the store owners. Confuse the customers so much that they can't help but buy something, if only to gain way to the exit. While Matsumoto was looking for some thing for herself, Karin walked to the right side of the store. Was the exit this way? That's when she noticed a leather jacket. She went over to the rack and pulled it off. It had a skull on the back. Perfect!_

Karin snapped out of her now automatic memory reflections.

"Matsumoto?" Karin asked the blond woman.

She looked delighted. "Captain!" Matsumoto yelled happily. "She remembers me!" She squealed. She jumped up in down, disturbing the scary peace that lay over the Academy. Soon all of the students and teachers were staring at Karin. She looked back at them. She had nothing to be embarrassed of.

Shota looked at the woman. "You know her?" he asked Karin.

"Not..really," Karin said, undecided. Did seeing her in old memory's she doesn't even really remember about count?

Hitsugaya was still smiling but he turned forward again. "Come, Matsumoto," he instructed. "You're causing a scene." He made his way down the aisle again.

Matsumoto pouted and turned to face the front again, but not before she winked at Karin. As Karin felt the eyes of hundreds or thousands of people gaze upon her, she felt oddly happy. She didn't know why. Ever since she had started coming to this Academy, strange events that have occurred and memories being re-found, if they even were memories, made Karin's head spin around like an owl. She let out a sigh of relief as the inquiring stares were soon being calculated on the receding figures of Hitsugaya and Matsumoto.

After the two of them had gone into the Academy, Aimi looked at Karin.

"You know the cute captain!?" she demanded to know. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"I didn't know he was a captain!" Karin said ignorantly.

Shota frowned. "Not fair."

Karin turned to him. "It's not my fault I knew him in the real world." When she said it out loud she knew it for sure. When she was alive, she had had to have known the captain, Hitsugaya. She walked to the entrance of the Academy since the crowd was breaking up. Everyone seemed to not be interested in staying outside since the main attraction had made their way inside.

She got a few glances from strangers and adults but she couldn't let that make her blush or self-conscious. "Let's go."

Aimi and Shota nodded and they made their way up the aisle and into the Academy.

"Hey," Hitsugaya said.

Karin turned, a little shocked by the sudden sound of his voice. He was leaning against the wall next to the door. "Hi," Karin said.

People walking by stared. Was that all that this school did? Stare, stare, stare? Karin thought of all the memories concerning Hitsugaya again. What exactly was going on in their relationship? From the memories, she could tell that they had kissed on accident but had there been _no_ feelings behind it. Karin could tell that she had felt a twitchy feeling, nervous if he liked her. She remembered by the river before she was killed by a hollow. She wanted to kiss him so badly then, but worried of what his feelings might be, she had kissed him on the cheek instead. Karin shook her head in confusion. She felt tense. If he had been there for the hollow to have arrived, what was it that kept him from destroying it with a flick of his sword? He was a captain!

Aimi could feel the air get tense. She hated conflict. She had too much of it whenever she was home. She grabbed Shota's arm. She didn't want him to get in the way. Her intuition told her that he had a crush, if not in love, with Karin. Aimi, being the friend that she was, could also tell that Hitsugaya had strong feelings for Karin too. Poor Karin. She was stuck in a love triangle.

"Come on," she said, gently pulling on Shota's arm. "Let's leave these two alone."

"Huh, why?" Shota asked, he was clearly oblivious to the look that Karin and Hitsugaya were sharing.

Aimi pulled him behind her towards one of the other hallways. She would work around his obliviousness.

Karin could hear Aimi whispering to Shota. "They have a past," she told him. "Can't you tell?"

She said something else and Shota answered with a voice a little forceful but they were now too far away for her to hear them.

Hitsugaya stood up and looked meaningfully at Karin. "Come," he said, beckoning her with his index finger. He started to walk down the hallway towards another door that led to the forest in the back.

Karin really didn't want to follow him. She had to find Granny's grandson, that was her first priority. Yet she couldn't disobey a captain. She also kept remembering her memories. He had saved her numerous amounts of times. The least she could do was to follow him outside into the woods.

"Why do you want to talk to me?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips. This better be good.

Hitsugaya didn't answer but pulled Karin forward towards him. Then he kissed her full on the lips. Karin froze in place. Okay, it _was_ good but that was not what Karin had been expecting.

All of the memories came again. This time a bit clearer. It seemed as if hours had gone by since Hitsugaya had first pressed his lips against hers. Karin was really soaking it in. His breath smelled like watermelons and they were soft but icy to touch. She hoped that her lips weren't chapped or tasted like the candy bar she had quickly, given to her by Shota, on the way here. Karin finally pushed him away with full force. He was still a stranger in this world. Doesn't matter what the memories explained.

"W-what are you doing?" she asked him, her cheeks turning red. She had enjoyed a kiss by an old friend/stranger. Not cool.

Hitsugaya, who was smiling, now frowned. "You don't remember?" he asked.

"Remember what?" Karin demanded to know, her cheeks getting redder and redder. She knew what he was going to say.

"Us."

Karin smiled a bit when she remembered the first kiss. It was an accident but nice all the same. He didn't have the taste of watermelons though. She liked that taste. She turned her back on Hitsugaya. She wouldn't let him see her pondering over what to say next. In her memories, he hadn't seemed like he cared for her all that much. Did he?

Karin turned back around to see Hitsugaya staring at her. He was still frowning.

"I do remember a little," she said. "I remember our first kiss, but I don't remember you ever saying that you liked me." Or showed any emotions or feelings to me at all.

Hitsugaya stood still. His face slowly turned tomato red. "W-well....I-i do...lo-" and with that he disappeared.

Karin was left standing alone in the trees by herself. The wind whistled through, running its invisible fingers through Karin's hair. She suddenly felt very very hot. It started to rain. She looked up at the sky. There were large clouds and the sky had turn grey. When did that happen? She laughed, not caring about when the sky had turned gray or anything. She had never felt happier. She barely knows him in the conscious world but in her memories she felt she could not survive without him. She closed her eyes, looking for the tiniest speck of him. What was he to her? Was he a potential boyfriend? or a lifetime partner?

* * *

Karin went back to the Academy. Her cheeks were still flushed from what had just happened. She could sense Aimi and Shota's reiatsu nearby. She couldn't wait to ask Aimi for her opinion. She looked closely to the feeling of their reiatsu. It seemed to be coming from the hall around the corner. She turned and saw something that made her want to vomit. Her cheeks became redder and she wanted to punch something.

Was there something in the air or something? Because around the corner, Aimi and Shota were making out.

"BREAK IT UP! BREAK IT UP!!" Karin screeched. She pulled Shota off of Aimi. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TWO DOING?"

Aimi looked sheepishly at Karin. "Do I really have to explain it?" she asked. She looked like she really was going to explain the physics of kissing.

Shota's face was blank. He smirked a little at Karin, as though he wanted to see her get jealous. "Well, you see it is this thing called 'kissing'," he smiled at Aimi. "And she's really good at it."

Aimi blushed to her roots. It looked bizarre with her purple hair. Karin hated the way that Shota was looking at her, as if he was waiting patiently for a response. Karin wouldn't give him one.

Karin stomped away. Aimi followed her. She told Shota to stay away. Aimi caught Karin's arm.

"Did something happen between you and the captain?" Aimi asked, concerned.

Karin blushed. "Nothing much," she replied. She hid her face behind her hair. "He just kissed me."

Aimi laughed. "So that's why you're so upset about me and Shota."

Karin stared in disbelief at Aimi. "How did that happen?" she asked. "You just met him a few moments ago."

Aimi shyly smiled. "I don't know," she said. "It just happened."

Karin put on a fake smile. She could tell that Aimi was in love the moment she saw Shota. She wasn't going to tell Shota that though. She had a feeling that Shota was just using Aimi. Not that Karin will tell Aimi that either. But if Shota ever hurt Aimi, she would kill him.

* * *

Hitsugaya had escaped to the other side of the woods. He hadn't expected her to react to badly. Had she really lost all of her memories? Or were there any true feelings to begin with?

Matsumoto appeared next to Hitsugaya. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts he didn't even notice her approach him. She placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Give her time."

Hitsugaya scoffed. "You saw that?" he asked.

Matsumoto just nodded. Her captain had found his love but she didn't remember him at all and couldn't even know her own feelings for him. Hitsugaya didn't even know he loved her yet but Matsumoto could tell. It was all in his demeanor. It made her heart ache.

"Hello, elementary schooler."

Hitsugaya turned as did Matsumoto. A vein popped out in his head. Who dared call him an elementary student? He slowly turned and immediately didn't feel any anger. He smiled a bit. That was the old joke that only Karin would use. That's the only person that can say something like that and be let get away with it.

"Karin?" Hitsugaya called out when he saw her.

Karin smiled. The breeze picked up. The air around Karin began to glow the same sort of purple color when she was protecting herself from the hollow. Matsumoto stood shocked. She had never seen it before, after all. What was her power?

"Matsumoto?" Karin asked, not letting her eyes stray from Hitsugaya. "Can you leave me and Toushiro alone for a minute?"

Matsumoto nodded. She got up and left, looking at the surroundings for a good place to hide. She eventually chose to hide in a tree nearby so she could listen in on what the two were saying, but that didn't fool Hitsugaya nor Karin. Their veins popped out. Karin's head darted to where Matsumoto hid and gave a death glare. She needed absolute privacy to talk to Hitsugaya.

"Matsumoto," Hitsugaya said. "Please leave for real this time." His right hand becoming a fist.

Matsumoto pouted and left. She would squeeze the juicy details from Hitsugaya later. She shivered with excitement. It better be good news.

When the two were completely sure that Matsumoto was _really_ gone, they turned to face each other. The wind died down and the air warmed up again.

"Did you really mean it?" Karin asked, looking at her feet.

Hitsugaya smiled, not daring to look up from his feet as well. "Yeah."

Karin frowned, her feet so interesting. "Well that's too bad."

Hitsugaya felt dismayed and lost but let his face go blank. "Why?"

Karin smiled, she glanced at Hitsugaya through her eyelashes. "Cuz I think I love you."

Hitsugaya started to grin like an absolute idiot. Is this what is was like to be in love?

Karin slowly walked forward and kissed Hitsugaya, quickly and gently, just a peck on the lips. She quickly stepped back far enough to see his whole face. His beautiful eyes and his white hair. She loved the way the air around him was also icy and cold.

She looked into Hitsugaya's eyes. That was when Granny's words came to her head. Her eyes opened.

_"Well my daughter in law had beautiful sea green eyes and amazing gold hair. My son had brown hair that was unruly and spiked all over the place and large blue eyes."_

_"Did they ever have a child?"_

_Granny smiled. Karin noted it was a sad smile. "One grandson."_

_"Whatever happened to him?"_

_"He left and became a Shinigami."_

Karin stiffened. She walked farther away from Hitsugaya, on knees locked straight. He groaned inwardly. _Again?_

Karin looked closely at Hitsugaya. He had sea green eyes that were wide and unruly hair that spiked all over the place. He couldn't possibly...

"You wouldn't happen to know an old lady named 'Granny' now would you?" she asked Hitsugaya.

He frowned. "What about Granny?" he asked. "How do you know her?"

Karin grew angry. "She let me stay with her during my time in Rukongai!" she shouted. "You left that poor woman all by herself!"

Hitsugaya frowned. He knew that she was right. How on Earth did she even get to be taken care of by Granny? He hadn't been to visit his Granny for a long time now.

"I know," he said resigned.

Karin didn't expect that reaction. Her anger died down quickly. "You should go and visit her sometimes," she reasoned.

Hitsugaya sighed. "There was never enough time."

Karin grabbed his hand and she smiled. "We can go and see her now."

Hitsugaya frowned. "There isn't eno-"

"Don't give me that excuse. We meet when the next vacation time for me is. Got it?"

"Yes."

A month later, Hitsugaya and Karin met back in the woods.

"I have paperwork to do, so make this quick," Hitsugaya said.

Karin frowned. "Is that anyway to treat your girlfriend?" she asked.

"My what?"

"Your g-i-r-l-f-r-i-e-n-d. I assume that's what we are."

In fact if you look it up in the Aimi Naoko dictionary, the very definition are two people who only see each other and spend practically every moment together either talking or kissing. This is a very accurate dictionary in my book.

Karin dragged Hitsugaya out of the woods and away from the Academy. She ran to Granny's house as fast as she could go. She tried to leave after the first week of school but she got caught by one of the sixth year students. She was punished to having to clean the halls the whole next week. It wasn't that bad, there was hardly anything to clean.

"Wait until Granny sees you!" Karin said happily. "She'll be so happy!"

Hitsugaya frowned in thought. What was he going to say to his Granny? He already knew he should apologize but what else should he do? He was not the kind of guy to deal with extremely awkward situations though.

They had finally arrived at the shack.

"Granny!?" Karin called.

"Child?" the old lady answered back. "Didn't you just join the Academy today? Are you sure you should be here back here already?"

Karin smiled at Granny and moved aside. "Granny! I joined it a month ago," Karin sighed. She then laughed and shoved Hitsugaya in front of her. "Is this your grandson?"

Hitsugaya was looking away from Granny. He knew how Granny would react. She would cry and then smile. And that's what she did.

Tears brimmed over the edges of her eyes and she was smiling.

"Shiro!" she said happily and hugged her grandson.

Karin watched their reunion and smiled happily. Sure, Hitsugaya looked like he was being smothered and hated being called Shiro, but Karin was happy that Granny was happy for real.

"Granny," Hitsugaya said coldly. "I am not Shiro. I am Captain Hitsugaya of the 10th Squad."

Granny smiled even wider, revealing some yellow colored teeth. "I'd expect that of you, Shiro."

Karin wished she could stay here forever but she couldn't. She needed to go to the Shinigami Academy after all. She left the two there. She didn't want Hitsugaya to see her cry, whether or not it was from happiness.

She made Granny happy and that was her only goal in going to the Academy but she couldn't leave Aimi and Shota there by themselves, so she would be going back.

When she had arrived back at the Academy she could hear Aimi in her bedroom. She knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Aimi's voice said on the other side of the door.

"Hey I need to talk to you about Shota."

"Okay, take a seat though."

Karin walked in and sat on the bed. Aimi had a bunch of books on her table. She looked at Karin and smiled, placing another book on the table.

"Don't get to close to him," Karin warned.

"What?" Aimi asked. "Aren't you best friends with him?"  
"Of course," Karin answered. "There is just something wrong with the way he's been this last month."

Aimi smiled without showing her bright white teeth. "I know," she said. "But don't worry about me, Karin-chan, I can take care of myself."

Karin smiled a similar smile to Aimi's. She knew that Aimi was strong. Maybe not as strong as Karin could be, her powers had already matured while Karin's remained minuscule in comparison to her ability.

Karin walked over to the table and picked up one of the books. It was a little weird with their strange silence.

"You actually bought this?" she asked Aimi, showing her the book.

"It's not at all that good though," Aimi said smiling. "It is good for laughs."

The book was _My Kittens are so Shy_ by Shunsui Kyoraku.

"It is rather ridiculous," Aimi said laughing. "He talks about how he runs after women. The only interesting part was how he achieved his bankai and all of that."

Karin looked at it. On the cover was a kitten and it looked kind of ridiculous. She flipped through a few pages of the book, scanning through it. "You've got to be kidding me," she muttered, her cheeks growing a bit red at what she was reading. She closed the book. Her cheeks had turned bright pink.

Aimi giggled. "You read _that_ part didn't you?" she laughed.

"Shut up."


	7. Chapter 7: Party Trouble

_Around the middle of the first year at the Academy._

Karin sat annoyed at the desk. It was only the middle of the first year and there was already boatloads of homework. There were sheets of paper that had to do with study guides and essays and so on so forth. She was working on something that had to do with the history of Soul Society. She knocked her head against the desk..multiple times. She pushed herself away from the desk, too tired and sore. She walked to the door, hunched over.

"I'm so tired," she muttered to herself.

She walked into the hall and turned directly to her left. She knocked lazily trying to make the largest amount of sound the smallest effort.

"Come in!" Aimi sang.

Karin opened the door and looked inside. Aimi was doing up her purple hair into a bun with her hair's layers framing her face. She had barely any makeup on. Karin felt the pang of envy. Aimi looked so happy and magical just getting ready for wherever she was going to. She had on a kimono that was very flair and short. It was really cute.

"Where are you going?" Karin asked, rubbing her very tired eyes. She bet she had dark circles under them. She just hoped she didn't have bags.

Aimi turned to look at her since she had entered the room. She looked her up and down, disapproving. Karin was about to punch her for such a look. She was so deprived of sleep she didn't care that Aimi was her best friend.

"You're not really going to wear that to the party, are you?" she asked Karin.

Karin looked at her outfit. She was wearing the standard uniform. The only thing about it was that it had major food stains and was the trousers stopped at the ankles. Karin had grown a bit since then. She glanced at Aimi. She still hadn't grown an inch. In fact, she looked perfect. Why was that? Karin thought that life could not get any more unfair.

Aimi walked to her closet and skimmed over the contents. She pulled out something after many 'would this be good' or 'maybe that one..' rejects. She threw it to Karin.

"Change into this," she said, still singing. She danced into the bathroom for God knows what reason.

Karin held up the object. It was a kimono like Aimi's but it was blue. It had an insignia on the edge of it. It looked like it had been pulled out on purpose. Karin quickly shook off her uniform, making sure the door was closed and locked first, and put on the blue kimono.

Aimi returned from the bathroom carrying many hair and makeup products in her arms. She dumped them all onto her desk and twirled Karin over to her. She turned the mirror so that Karin could see herself as Aimi worked her beauty magic.

She quickly did Karin's hair up into a neat ponytail. She pulled out a curling iron she had gotten from the real world. Karin didn't know how or when but she had learned not to judge many of the things that Aimi somehow managed to get.

Karin couldn't even remember asking Aimi anything about her past. She never thought it was important. Plus she was afraid of how Aimi would react. Karin didn't remember her memories when she had first come to the Soul Society. Maybe it was the same concept to Aimi.

As Karin thought about all the questions she had never bothered to ask, Aimi curled her hair that was held in the ponytail. They were loose and looked natural. Aimi went to the front of Karin and curled the shorter hairs that had escaped the ponytail. She let it frame Karin's face. She then unplugged the curling iron and pulled out some makeup. After Aimi commanded Karin to smile and close her eyes, Karin almost fell to sleep. When was the last time she did that?

"Okay!" Aimi said excitedly and stepped out of Karin's line of sight of the mirror. "What do you think? Hitsugaya will love it."

Karin looked into the mirror. At first she was a little surprised that the person staring back at her was herself. She had light makeup on like Aimi but that makeup made up a lot of difference. She had pink eyeshadow on and black eyeliner. She eyelashes had been curled so they were longer and curled up. There wasn't a drop of mascara on them. She had a light blush on her cheeks. Aimi had put lip gloss on her lips that were a rasberry color. It was bright and sparkly but pretty all the same. Karin blinked slowly to make sure it wasn't some trick of light.

She then heard Aimi's words. "Hitsugaya is coming?" she asked her. "I don't remember inviting him. To tell the truth I don't remember saying I was going to whatever party you're going now."

Aimi pouted. "That's not fair, Kar!" she said using the nickname that Karin loathed. "You promised I could take you out to a party. All you've been doing is studying!"

Karin nodded. "That's what I need to be doing now!" she announced, heading for the door. She walked outside. Aimi slipped out behind her, shutting off the lights while she was at it. She grabbed Karin's arm and dragged her out of the front door of the dorm. There waiting for her, was Hitsugaya.....and Shota.

Hitsugaya was in his standard black kimono with the exception of the haori. He looked her up and down. "You're finally wearing makeup," he commented. "It looks...nice."

Aimi's right hand clenched into to a fist. She was about to punch Hitsugaya when Karin held her arm. "Don't worry," she muttered. "He says that when he's embarrassed to say anything about anyone's appearance when they look _amazing_."

Karin didn't really think she looked amazing but Aimi had spent a lot of time working on Karin's makeup. The least she could do was compliment that.

Hitsugaya looked at Aimi, looking shocked. The only times he had ever seen her fully was whenever she had her nose buried in some deep and complicated book. Karin looked at him staring at Aimi with jealousy that it burned her heart. He looked at her with such lust that she wanted to punch out his lights.

Hitsugaya smiled as he looked at her. He then snapped his head to Karin and winked. Karin stuck out her tongue at him. He had only been _pretending_ to look at her?! She was mad. He knew she would notice the gaze and gotten jealous. She hated it whenever he toyed with her feelings like this. Stupid Hitsugaya!

Karin, enraged, stomped her high heeled foot and walked in a random direction. She was a full amount of five steps before Aimi gently pulled her arm. She pointed in the opposite direction.

"The party is that way," she said sheepishly. She knew what her friend was thinking. She couldn't help feel bad that Hitsugaya had looked at her that way in order to make his girlfriend, Aimi thought that was what she should be called, aggravated.

Karin just stomped her foot again and walked the other way. Aimi smiled helplessly at Hitsugaya and walked slowly behind her. Hitsugaya just shrugged it off. He was use to Karin's attitudes. He thought that maybe she was having her monthly...er...thing.

Karin was so angry at Hitsugaya that she didn't care that she was hurting Aimi's feelings, not to mention her shoes, by making the evening unpleasant with her rage. Karin simply walked forward. She was so tired of Hitsugaya's pranks. She liked it when he use to just walk next to her with nothing to say and absolutely no expression on his face. Something that Karin did changed him to become like this, free and happy. She loved it...at certain times.

Aimi could tell that Karin was rambling in her mind. She always did this whenever she was in a fight with Hitsugaya. She knew that Karin couldn't live without Hitsugaya. They were destined for each other. At least from all the romantic novels that Aimi poured into her brain, the signs were clear. They were soul mates.

Aimi had once read a book that there was some sort of birthmark that people were born with that gave them the ability to see who was their soul mate. She wondered if Karin and Hitsugaya had something like this so that they knew they were made for each other...figuratively of course.

Aimi nodded obviously to Hitsugaya and nudged her head towards Karin.

"Aimi, there is no need for you to tell the _Captain_ to apologize," Karin was very sarcastic on the word captain. She only called Hitsugaya that when she was bugged by him. This was not usually a very good sign.

Hitsugaya sighed dramatically. He was learning from Karin every day. She was an excellent teacher of Drama for Teenagers.

"Naoko, can you leave me and Karin alone?" he asked with a certain authority. He had never called Aimi by her first name. He was so polite that it freaked out Aimi a little.

"Sure," she nodded. She walked quicker so that she could get ahead of the two. She would just meet Shota at the party. The two were getting along. Aimi was a little curious about Shota's feelings for Karin. She didn't know if he still liked her or even loved her. Ever since Karin had found Hitsugaya, the very few hours that Aimi got to know Shota, he has been like a giant stick in the mud. All he would do whenever he and Aimi were alone, kissing or doing whatever, he would somehow manage to bring up Karin.

Like once, they were behind the school in the forest that Aimi loved and Karin and Hitsugaya professed their love for each other, making out, and Shota pushed Aimi away from him a little.

"What do you think Karin and Hitsugaya are doing?" he asked.

"Hopefully something like we are," Aimi answered. She loved how much Karin was in love. She hoped that Karin got to enjoy this before it was all ripped away from her because of titles and bloodlines. She shook her head. Wait, she was over that.

She thought of Shota. Sure, she was over that. He was nice too. Even of he was a little young for her. He had the same brown hair as...

Aimi walked on forward. She was dwelling on the past too much. No one would know her in this uniform. It was all pretty and cute. It never even changed. It is the perfect outfit to escape away from all the responsibility. She thought of her dad. Would he miss her?

Karin turned back and looked at Hitsugaya. "Let's just go to the party and have a good time, eh?" she asked.

She sort of jogged on her heels. It was so annoying. She couldn't balance correctly on high heels. When she was strutting away from Hitsugaya at the beginning of the night, she had secretly been concentrating hard on not falling so she didn't look like a complete fool.

She was getting over her temper and walked towards the party. _That's_ when she fell and twisted her ankle. It was a big jumble of falling and twisting and hurting.

She was looking up at the night sky. Suddenly the light went out of view. She saw Hitsugaya and his spiky white hair falling downwards into Karin's face. She giggled.

"That tickles," she said, blowing his hair out of her face.

He smiled down on her. She was beautiful even if she refused to believe it. Hitsugaya leaned down and kissed her gently on the forehead. She turned a light pink under her blush and foundation.

He stayed leaning over her. He leaned forward again, about to kiss her on the lips.

"What are you doing?"

Hitsugaya brought himself up straight and turned to see who interrupted such a sweet moment.

"Hello.....Shota," Hitsugaya said. This guy had such bad timing. Or was it good? Hitsugaya had his suspicions about Shota. He seemed too fond of Karin. It bugged him how he wasn't fast enough to find her so she made _Shota_ her best friend.

Before Shota could even think of a reply, Hitsugaya knelt down in front of Karin. He winked at her and picked her up, scooping him into her arms. He cradled her in his arms with such ease. Karin had to remember that despite his still child-like appearance he was actually really strong. She blushed madly, now turning a strawberry red. She didn't look Shota in the eye because of her embarrassment of having to be carried, but she could tell from the corner of her eye, as could Hitsugaya who was staring at his face to see his reaction, that he was red in the face. It could either be from embarrassment to witness such a scene, or something that Karin didn't want to think that Shota would feel: rage and irritation.

Karin had been making up excuses for Shota to Hitsugaya on a daily basis now. She had known since Shota had kissed Aimi for the first time, that he was just using her. She also knew on some level that Shota had a crush on her. She had hoped in the beginning that it was just puppy love for his best friend. Boys often got their feelings mixed up. Karin just told her self that for the first months that he was only mixed up. That he would come to his senses and choose Aimi, who was clearly attracted to him.

Then there was Aimi. Whenever Aimi looked at Shota, she looked through him as if she was looking at someone else. Karin had seen this look once when she was looking at the back of his head at the picnic and they were practicing kidou since Aimi's voice had gotten sore from all the reading. Aimi had been looking at the brown hair and saw something else. Karin always had trouble to know what her friend was thinking of whenever she was thinking of her past. Aimi always got tense when asked about her past. She would put on a fake smile that anyone but Karin could mistake for a genuine smile.

"Nothing much has really happened," the response came from any question.

Karin wasn't fooled. She saw the way that Aimi's hand clenched and unclenched that indeed something _must_ have happened. It wouldn't surprise Karin if she had some deep dark secret that if Aimi ever told Karin, she would have to kill her.

"We're here," Hitsugaya said, placing Karin carefully into a folded chair.

Karin, immersed in her thoughts, hadn't notice them coming up to the party. It is really surprising because the music was turned up to the maximum volume that was possible on the stereo that someone must have brought back from the real world.

Probably a sixth year brought it back from a practice mission to exterminate some monstrous hollow wandering around devouring any human's soul that walked across its path. Unlike black cats, the hollow aren't at all scared and eat them. So the Shinigami has to make its way all the way over there and go and chop them in half.

Karin loved Aimi's explanation when she was suppose to give a report in one of their classes. Of course, Aimi said something smart, while Karin abbreviated into her slacker and dumb-ed down version.

The teacher just shook her head and frowned when Karin gave her report. The funny thing was that they understood Karin's version better than Aimi's, who included complicated tearms of the slaying of a Hollow. Karin thought that she even included the anatomy of Hollows in her presentation.

Even thought Aimi was her best friend, Karin still thought of her as a mega nerd. She was more of a genius than the teacher. Karin would chuckle in class whenever Aimi corrected the teacher.

Karin sat in her chair, searching the dance floor for Aimi. She found her...within a circle of guys. She scoffed.

Unbelievable! She beat them to the party by just a few minutes and Aimi was already the center of attention. Not that Karin was surprised. With that face and body, it would be a wonder if all the guys in the room weren't staring at her.

he stole a glance at Hitsugaya. He was looking at her concerned. When he saw her glance at him, he looked at what she was looking at before. He smiled at her and made an exaggerated effort to be ogling Aimi.

Karin puffed out her cheeks and turned her face away from Hitsugaya. She let the air loose from her cheeks and looked at all of the guys that were surrounding Aimi. She yelped in surprise.

"Hitsugaya," she called him over to her.

Hitsugaya waltzed on over and smiled. "Not mad at me anymore?" he asked slyly.

Karin ignored the question. She simply motioned her head to Aimi. "Have you noticed a striking resemblance amongst all the guys?" she asked him.

Hitsugaya studied the group that surrounded Aimi in a circle. "They all have brown hair?" he asked.

Karin nodded. "Exactly, brown hair and green eyes," she observed. She saw another boy coming up to her with rather extraordinary black hair. "Watch this next part."

The black haired boy walked up to the group. He looked like he wanted to talk to Aimi, at the very least, hit on her, but as soon as he walked up, Aimi didn't even notice him. She was completely occupied in continuing to look at all of the brown haired boys of the group.

"Wow," Hitsugaya observed. "So cold. I didn't know that Aimi had a type."

Karin patted/ slapped Hitsugaya on the cheek. "Come on!" she said. "If Aimi ever worked her strange and powerful magic on you, you would dump me in a second."

Hitsugaya frowned and deeply looked Karin in the eyes, bringing his face in front of hers. "I would never," he promised. "ever ever ever ever leave you for any other person."

Karin kissed his cheek. "Thank you," she said laughing. She then turned to look around the party. It looked like so much fun.

She gently put some pressure on her ankle. "Ow," she muttered.

Hitsugaya dashed to her side. He had wandered away to go and see if there were any drinks. He brought had brought two back with him. They sloshed over their edges when he had run back as soon as he heard the word 'ow.'

"Are you okay?" he asked concerned, handing her a drink.

Karin had to take her hand from where she had held it against her ankle. She wouldn't be sparring for a while. This might put her behind the class. The student Shinigami weren't allowed to have kidou used on their wounds yet. It was really unfair in Karin's mind. Now she would be behind the class.

She took the drink and smelled it. It smelled funny. She took a tiny sip. She coughed it out.

"Yuck!" she said. "What is this?"

"You don't like se srink?"

Karin looked up from the cup with the yucky liquid to see Aimi flowing towards her. She seemed kind of ditzy.

"At least four guys have brought me that stuff," she said, giggling crazily. "I-t's sreally good."

"Are you _slurring_ your words?" Karin asked. Oh no.

She smelled the drink closely. Yup, there was definitely alcohol in there. She could smell it because of when she was a nurse working in the Kurosaki Clinic. She had gotten in close contact with the alcohol in order to clean the wounds of all the people that had cuts or infection. It worked nicely, to heal, but that when only 12% of it was put into a drink, it can make people drunk.

Uh oh. Hitsugaya had gotten some of that drink. She turned to see him drinking it. There were three more cups next to him. Hitsugaya drank the last sip and looked at Karin. He had flushed cheeks just like Aimi. He walked, swaying to Karin.

"Y-you look so beaustiful," he slurred. He leaned in and kissed her.

Karin, disgusted by the smell and taste of alcohol in his mouth, pushed him away after he kissed her four more times.

He fell into a faint on the ground. She sure hoped that no one recognized a renowned captain of the Gotei 13 getting drunk. He lied in a dead heap, his face still red. He smacked his lips together and scratched his chest. A little drool came out of the side of his mouth.

She looked at Aimi. She was making out with each of the guys. She kissed one of the guys and then she moved on to another one of them. Karin frowned. She even kissed the black haired guy she had been oblivious to earlier.

Was she going to have to take care of them all tonight? She then remembered Shota was here too. She turned her head to Shota, he would be a big help in this situation.

_Crap!_

Shota was drinking some of the drink too. His face was bright tomato red. He probably had more to drink than Hitsugaya or Aimi. She slowly got to her feet in order to keep Shota from drinking anymore. She pulled the cup gently from his hands, keeping most of the weight on her other unhurt ankle.

"Bwut I want swome," he said stomping his feet.

**Drunk Status:**

**Aimi- flirty and uncontrollably a blond ice cold bitch**

**Shota- whining child (spoiled)**

**Hitsugaya- can't hold his liquor**

**Karin- smart enough to stay away from alcohol**

Her vein popped. If she ever found out who spiked the punch, she would kill them. It was probably another sixth year. You could get many things from the real world. Plus most of them looked like they were over twenty one. The perfect and infinite disguise.

"Shota," she commanded in a yelling voice. The music was so loud she couldn't hear herself think. "stop acting like a baby and help me carry Hitsugaya."

Shota sat on the floor crossed legged. "I don't wanna!" he whined.

Karin was going to lose her temper real quick. She limped over to Aimi and pulled her off of her latest boy toy. She used all of her strength to pull her to the side where Shota sat lazily with his arms across his chest and Hitsugaya slept.

"Karin..." Hitsugaya said, smiling. He licked his lips and rolled to his other side. "Karin..."

Karin blushed despite herself. He seemed to be having a good time in his dream. She didn't really want to know what 16 year old (well he _looks_ 16) would dream about.

Karin sure hoped that Hitsugaya- wait, none of her friends wouldn't get drunk again, as Aimi pulled away from Karin and sat in Shota's lap, kissing him. She bent down to pick up Hitsugaya.

Ugh! He was so heavy. She used all of her strength to lift him up. Normally both of them could lift each other up but with her twisted ankle, Karin couldn't even lean him against her shoulder.

"Aimi!" Karin yelled at her friend. "Get off Shota and help me with Hitsugaya."

Aimi flounced off of Shota and walked over to Hitsugaya. She leaned over him and smiled.

"I've never stried sa scaptain befsore," she murmured and leaned in. Karin slapped her across the face before she had the chance to kiss Hitsugaya.

"What the hell do you think you're doing trying to kiss my boyfriend?" she demanded.

Aimi lay on the floor, now unconscious. Karin's face fell from anger. Now she had concern. Had she slapped Aimi too hard? When Aimi murmured a random name, probably one of the boys she kissed, Karin sighed. She was just sleeping.

Shota got up and picked Hitsugaya up.

Karin looked in surprise. "Are you sober yet?" she asked.

Shota looked at her. "A bit," he said wearily. "Someone spiked the punch."

**(ahem, Shota did. :P)**

Karin smiled gratefully. "Thanks," she said. "I'll get Aimi."

She grabbed Aimi's arm and put it over her shoulder. She limped and dragged Aimi. Shota and Karin walked in silence, pulling and carrying their friends were too focused on carrying them to start a conversation.

When they finally reached Karin's quarters, Karin put Hitsugaya on the bed and Aimi on the couch. No way would she have the flirt in the same bed as her boyfriend. She pulled an extra blanket from her closet and pulled it over Aimi.

She smiled at her best friend as she turned over on her side and put her hands under her head, cuddling under the soft blanket.

Karin sat on the bed next to Shota. She looked back on her boyfriend. He looked so peaceful. Karin decided she would have to stay here and watch over the two so they won't wake up and wander off somewhere.

Shota smiled weirdly. He pulled Karin's face to face his. Karin noted that he was still flushed on his cheeks. He leaned into her, his eyes closing.

Karin slapped his hand then punched him in the face. "What do you think you're doing?!" she yelled at him.

He smiled weirdly. "You're swo beautiful," he said, leaning in again. Karin thought he might still be drunk. She might as well make him sleep like the other two.

Karin punched him in the stomach. As he leaned over and coughed out some water or saliva or whatever, Karin pressed a pressure point in his neck to make his pass out.

He fell to the floor in a heap. Karin looked around the room, where else was there room for the him to lie down and get over his drunk-ness. She saw that the only place left was at the desk.

Karin dragged his 21 year old body and pulled him to the table. She pulled him up so that he had his head on his arms, sleeping on the table. She thought that the room looked natural enough. Karin sat on the side of the bed again.

She curled her hand into a fist and pounded it against the soft mattress. She was the one with a sprained ankle. Yet because of some stupid student, she had to take care of all of them. The vein on her forehead popped out again. She would kill the stupid head.

"P-punch......s-sake....mix..." Karin looked at Shota.

Was he talking in his sleep again? She laid down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. She was so tired. She closed her eyes.

* * *

"Karin?" a voice entered her realm of blackness. "K-arin?"

Karin opened her eyes. She found herself looking into Aimi's.

"Aah!"

Karin bolted up straight.

"What's wrong?" said a concerned Aimi.

Karin carefully scooted closer to Hitsugaya. She looked at him. He was still asleep.

"A-are you okay?" Aimi said, reaching out a hand to place on her shoulder.

Karin gently pushed the hand away.

"Not still drunk, right?" Karin asked.

Aimi laughed nervously. "S-sorry about that," she said, blushing and looking at her toes. "Shota told me already that I went after all of the guys at the party."

Karin looked to the desk. Shota _was _gone. "W-where did he go?" she asked.

_Damn, she was suppose to watch them to make sure they didn't all go berserk in their drunk stage._

Karin got out of the bed and stepped on her ankle. She fell forward and hit her head on the edge of the desk. She passed out again.

When she woke up for the second time, she turned her head to the desk to see Hitsugaya working. Aimi was nowhere in sight.

Hitsugaya smiled and looked at her. "Well, that was my first time being drunk," he said laughing.

Karin smiled weakly. Her head and ankle were throbbing. "You can't hold your liquor," she muttered.

"That's not my fault," Hitsugaya frowned.

Karin giggled. "Maybe we can try it again later," she sat up a little. "Just come here."

Hitsugaya got up from the bed and sat on the bed next to Karin. She maneuvered her body so that her head was leaning on Hitsugaya's groaned.

"Are you okay?" Hitsugaya's brow was furrowed in concern.

She shook her head and looked at him with a fake look of seriousness. "I have to go back to school tomorrow."


	8. Chapter 8: Turning Shinigami

Okay, this chapter was put online b4 as Chapter Seven so if you already read it, you don't really need to read it again.

**I keep on forgetting!!!! :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Bleach characters except for Aimi Naoko. She's all mine!  
**

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* * *

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_Around four years later_

Karin had to work as hard as she could in the last four years. With the help of Hitsugaya and Aimi (who had graduated after 3 years) she was going to graduate that year. She was practically bouncing off the walls from happiness.

Karin got up and started to pack up the room. She was going to miss this spacious small room. Especially the bed. She and Hitsugaya had a lot of fun on that bed. She pulled the covers over. She checked underneath the blanket to make sure some clothes weren't hidden underneath. She looked under the bed. She pulled out the box she placed under it.

She opened the wooden box and looked inside. Just a few trinkets from her time in the Academy. She pulled out a necklace that Hitsugaya had given to her. It once belonged to his mother. She put it on. It was a priceless valuable. It had come from the real world with his mother. When she died of a sickness decades ago, she had this necklace on her. When she arrived in Rukongai, she woke up with it around her neck.

She looked at the necklace. The beads were small and red. The diamond in the middle was a sapphire. She didn't know if it was real or not, but she didn't care. It once belonged to a woman who was very important to Hitsugaya. That was good enough for Karin.

She burrowed through the box and brought out a picture. It was taken by Matsumoto. She had brought a camera back from the real world on one of her missions. In the picture was Hitsugaya with his arm around Karin's waist (they both were smiling), Aimi doing a peace sign, and Shota glaring at Hitsugaya and Karin. Karin had never noticed his face before. She guessed she notices things like that when she is betrayed by someone she loved like a brother.

* * *

_End of First Year_

_Aimi started to cry. Karin was outraged. _

_"Where do you think you're sneaking off to Shota?" she demanded to know._

_Shota turned back and gave a smile that made Karin and Aimi shiver. "I am going to find Yui," he said manically. _

_"Why do you need to sneak off in the middle of the night to do that?" Karin asked. _

_"Keep your voice down, Karin," Aimi said. _

_Karin lowered her voice but not her rage. "Shota, are you really only doing this to find Yui or do you have an ulterior motive?" she asked in a barely audible whisper. _

_Shota laughed demonically. "You found me out!" he laughed. "You know me too well, Karin."_

_Aimi was still crying. Shota snapped his head at her. "Shut up, bitch," he commanded. _

_Aimi sniffled a little but stopped crying. The air around Karin started to grow denser and turn a faint purple color. It surrounded her and Aimi. The wind picked up and soon all of their hair was swooshing around. _

_Aimi looked around, amazed, at the purple barrier that surrounded her. So this was Karin's power. Aimi had discovered her Zanpakutou's name at the beginning of the first year, but she never dared to tell Karin or Shota. She was afraid they would make fun of her or ignore her. _

_Karin didn't even bat an eye when the wind picked up around her. She had already seen this when she first professed her love for Hitsugaya._

_"Don't you dare talk to Aimi like that, Shota," Karin yelled. She couldn't control her anger any more. _

_Lightning started to strike at the spot that Shota was standing. He pulled out his Zanpakutou, much to the girls' surprise. _

_"Slice, Devil's Snake."_

_Karin frowned. He already has his shikai form?_

_"N-no way!" Aimi said shocked. _

_"Ha," Karin said to Shota. "You may have your shikai form, but you could never spar with me."_

_Karin brought out her own Zanpakutou. "I'll defeat you without even knowing my own sword's name and beat some sense into you," she said bravely. She could tell by the reiatsu that it might not be enough. "And then I'll drag you back to the Academy."_

_Shota smiled evilly. Karin wished he would just cut it out._

_"I have no business fighting you.. yet," Shota explained. "I'll become powerful even more and then you'll succumb to me."_

_Karin stood dumbfounded. "Don't tell me you're doing all of this so you can have me?!" she shouted. "What about Aimi?"_

_Aimi sat their on her knees quietly. "I already knew he was infatuated with you when I first met him," she whispered. Karin turned to look at her. She felt sorry for Aimi. She already knew that Shota was in love with her, she never knew about it.  
_

_Aimi looked up at Karin and she saw the sad smile and tears in her eyes. "Aimi.." Karin uttered. _

_Aimi pulled out her Zanpakutou and turned to face Shota. _

_Shota smirked. "What are you going to do to me?" he asked. "you are weak compared to Karin and me."_

_Aimi gave another sad smile. "You don't think I was put into Class 1 like Karin for no reason, did you?" she asked. "Rise, Wisteria Vine."_

_Her Zanpakutou changed into numerous amounts of thick vines. It quickly wrapped Shota in within itself. "W-what?" he shouted at Aimi. "How in the world did you get so strong, princess?"_

_Aimi's Zanpakutou paused, it's vines unwinding at the fact that Aimi was distracted."W-what did you call me?" she asked.  
_

_Shota quickly cut up Aimi's Zanpakutou before it could slowly crush him. "No time for this," he said. "I'll see you guys later, especially you, Karin. " He gave an evil look and then quickly vanished._

_Aimi stood there with her now regular Zanpakutou. The protective barrier that had formed around slowly dissolved. Karin, not at all concerned about the barrier (she barely even knew it was there). She just stood there shocked about what Shota told her and what Aimi's Zanpakutou could do.  
_

_

* * *

_

Karin sighed. He had used shunpo to escape. Karin had tried to catch up but her shunpo wasn't developed enough yet to keep up with the speed of Shota. She sat in her room, now empty of her belongings. She put the wooden box in the net/bag that Hitsugaya had given to her. It also held her soccer ball from the real world. She and Hitsugaya would play in a field nearby the Academy. He always won.

Karin looked at the letter she had received from Hitsugaya. It stated that she had been accepted into the Gotei 13. She wondered which squad she would belong to. The letter didn't go into specifics.

"Karin?" Aimi's voice said on the other side of the door.

Karin poked her head out of the door. "Yeah?"

"You passed your exam with flying colors, right?"

Karin smiled and nodded. "But you passed a year ahead of me."

Aimi laughed. "That was pure luck."

Karin frowned. "You have so little confidence in yourself."

Aimi only could frown but that look didn't look right on her cheerful face. She hadn't changed at all in four years. "Come on, Captain Kurosaki is waiting for us."

"Ichigo is here?"

Aimi laughed and grabbed Karin's arm. Karin made a quick grab for her net/bag before she was pulled out of her old room. Aimi dragged her to the front of the Academy, where the graduation ceremony was.

Ichigo stood there at the front with his back to them, with his arm draped over his wife's shoulder.

"Ichigo!"

Ichigo turned as did his wife. Aimi ran forward to Mrs. Kurosaki.

"How are you doing?"

"Good." Mrs. Kurosaki said.

Karin remembered when Ichigo had shown up finally in the Soul Society. He already known she had signed up for the Shinigami Academy, much to Karin's dislike.

* * *

_Half-way through the second year at the Academy_

_Karin sat in class like a good little student. Aimi was copying down copious notes. They were both in Class 1. Shota was in Class 2. Karin wasn't really paying attention to the class. She was too busy thinking about Hitsugaya. Typical boyfriend obsession.  
_

_It has been a while since she had seen him. She missed him but, she needed to focus on her studies. The quicker she got out of the Academy the quicker they could be together. This influenced Karin to do her best. She and Aimi were at the top of their class, so no worries there. She didn't know how Aimi did it, she was so cooped up in herself when it came to school. Aimi loved to go out in the woods and just read or eat in a small picnic._

_Karin would sleep during the duration of the small outings. She wasn't into reading much, only listened to Aimi as she read aloud to Karin. Aimi had such a soothing voice that it made Karin fall right to sleep. __Shota **used **to accompany them on these small outings. He would listen as well or go out into the woods and not return until the sun went down and the girls were packing up. _

_Hitsugaya almost never had time to accompany them, captain work to attend to, but whenever he did, he would cuddle with Karin and listen to the story. He stayed awake though and watched Karin sleep peacefully. Shota always stared at him enviously. Hitsugaya never even bothered to worry about it just thought that Shota had something in his eye. It twitched incessantly whenever he was jealous.  
_

_Anyway, Aimi was answering one of the questions on the board and Karin was daydreaming when a loud voice from outside the classroom interrupted her. _

_"HITSUGAYA!?" the voice boomed. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH MY SISTER?"_

_Karin turned. That voice... What was his name? _

_Ichi-nii!_

_Karin dashed from her seat and out the didn't bother saying anything to the teacher.  
_

_"Sorry, sensei," Aimi said to the teacher before she dashed out the door herself. _

_Karin stood in the hallway. She found Hitsugaya holding Ichigo in a headlock. Karin laughed. That was her Hitsugaya._

_Ichigo's head popped up at the sound of Karin's laugh. _

_"Karin?" he asked. Hitsugaya let go of his head so that he could talk to Karin. _

_"Beware, Kurosaki," Hitsugaya warned. "Her memories are very fuzzy."_

_Ichigo's head snapped to Hitsugaya. "Well, apparently someone has been manipulating them so that they could get into her mouth!" he yelled. _

_Aimi watched the quietly. blushing. "I think you should calm down, sir," she warned gently. "You'll let the whole school know about Hitsugaya and Karin."_

_Karin gave a weak smile. "So you're my brother right?" she asked Ichigo. She noticed how orange his hair was and how his brow always seemed to be furrowed. _

_"Of course!" Ichigo yelled. "How could you forget your own brother?"_

_Ichigo then went into all of the embarrassing stories about Karin and I don't think I need to tell you all of the details. There are quite a few really embarrassing stories. It was embarrassing enough that he was causing a ruckus at the Academy but now he was also making a fool out of Karin. Karin's vein popped out._

_Aimi got the memo, she and Karin had a sort of telepathic relationship as best friends. They could always tell when the other is thinking. Sparring together becomes nearly impossible. _

_Aimi, whose uniform was to big for her, used her extra long sleeves to wrap it around the mouth of Ichigo. She then used shunpo, with Hitsugaya and Karin following her, to get out of the Academy and go to the woods nearby. _

_When she finally released Ichigo, Hitsugaya asked, "Why are you even here, Ichigo?"_

_Ichigo was on the verge of attacking Aimi for almost suffocating him. When Karin asked why he was in the Soul Society, Ichigo gave a triumphant smile. "Yamamoto asked me to become the captain of the Fifth Division."_

_Hitsugaya just looked at him blankly. "A substitute Shinigami becoming a captain?"_

_Ichigo's vein popped out. "What do you mean by that?"_

_Hitsugaya frowned. "What about Yuzu and your father?"_

_Ichigo smiled. "They already know about me being a Shinigami. Plus you guys need captains don't you?"_

_Karin smiled. _"So my big brother will be a captain?"_ she thought. _"Interesting."

_"Wait a second," Karin said. "Didn't they say that the new captain was engaged to a noble and that's why he's here in the Soul Society? I thought it was just gossip"_

_Ichigo smiled broadly. "Well it isn't!"_

_Hitsugaya's eyes popped wide open. "You don't mean..."_

_"Yeah, he does," a female voice behind them said. _

_Karin turned around. "W-whoa wait a minute," she said. "The noble is...Rukia-nee san?"_

_Rukia smiled. "It is."_

_

* * *

_

The graduation went according to plan. Karin graduated and was put into the Ninth Division under Captain Hisagi. She was sad that she wasn't to be put into the same Division as Hitsugaya but she had a feeling that the Captain-Commander did this on purpose. He had seen the two always being together whenever he came to the Academy. Not that Hitsugaya's performance ever went down, but Yamamoto was being cautious all the same.

Hisagi had become captain while Karin was in her third year as the captain. When he had finally achieved Bankai he easily passed the captain's test and became the leader of the Ninth Division. Karin was delighted to learn all about him. He was hilarious in her book. She decided that she would train even harder to pass him and the current position for lieutenant.

After **decades **of rigorous training, Karin was tested to see what seat she was going to have. The test wasn't that difficult. She had killed hundreds of Hollows before this. All she had to do was fight against Hisagi. She would have won if she didn't want to ruin his pride. Upon seeing Karin's performance, Yamamoto decided that she was strong enough to become the lieutenant of the squad. The Division was fully behind this. Karin was quite popular.

She rushed to Hitsugaya's quarters to tell him the good news.

He simply sat in his chair and said, "That's not surprising."

Karin wasn't happy with this response. She sat in his lap so that their faces almost touched. Since she had come to the Soul Society she had noticed how Hitsugaya was getting taller. He looked now around fifteen or sixteen years old. She expected that she did too.

"You could have given me a better reaction."

"Like what?"

"You know..."

And he did know. He kissed her gently and then a little harder. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer.

"Karin!" Aimi called. She opened the door to Hitsugaya's quarters. She was placed into Third Division under Captain Izuru. She would never admit but she had the hots for him. She felt Karin's reiatsu at the Tenth Division so she started to walk over to there. She bet that Karin was with Hitsugaya. She wanted to ask her what to do about her feelings for her captain. Plus she wanted to congratulate her best friend on becoming lieutenant. Now both of them will be lieutenants together. Aimi was so excited when she heard the news from Captain Kira.

"Kar-" She greeted and opened the door.

You don't want to know what she saw. **(think what you want :P)** Her whole body flushed a bright red and she backed out of the room and closed the door quickly. Hitsugaya and Karin were so 'busy' they didn't eve notice Aimi.

* * *

_The next morning_

Karin woke up next to Hitsugaya. She looked under the blanket. Yup, nothing. So it wasn't just a dream.

She wrapped the sheets around her and she looked at Hitsugaya's face, which was turned towards her. She smiled. He was sleeping soundly with a little bit of drool on the corner of his mouth.

She kissed him, ignoring the drool. He woke up.

"Good morning!" she greeted.

"Aah!" Hitsugaya shouted, scooting away. "Y-you're still here?"

Karin knocked the top of his head. "What kind of reaction is that?" Her vein popped out.

Hitsugaya smiled. He got out of bed and put on his black kimono and then his haori. Karin sat in bed with the sheets wrapped around her. She noticed how much she was developing now a days.

She looked around the room to find her black kimono. She saw it...it was kind of in shreds. Karin's face turned bright red. She looked at the bed. The pillows were also on the floor and the bed was a complete mess.

"Um, Hitsugaya?" she asked.

Hitsugaya's head turned to face Karin. "Mm?"

"My kimono is in shreds."

Hitsugaya turned to see the kimono that lay on a heap in the floor. "Uh yeah, that's a problem."

"Ya think?"

Hitsugaya sighed. He threw a kimono at Karin. "Here."

Karin looked at it. "It's too short!" she complained. It was at least three times smaller than the normal length. She held it to her body to see how short it would be if she wore it.

"Well that's because it is the kimono that I wore when I first met you."

"Oh."

Karin slipped it on. It barely reached her knees. She liked it. It was short and cute. It sort of revealed her chest a bit but she had a little to show, so, why not?

"What do you think?" she asked Hitsugaya.

"Okay," he said without so much as a glance at Karin.

"Oh, you!" Karin stomped out of the room and went to her own quarters. When she walked inside, she found the person she had hoped never to ever see again.

"Hi Karin, I see that your style has changed a bit, hasn't it?" the man asked, smirking at her outfit.

_Shota_

_

* * *

_

Karin stared at Shota. How long had it been since he had abandoned them?

"How did you get in here?" she asked.

"Oh, you haven't missed me in these years that we have been apart?" He looked around the room. "I hear that you are now a lieutenant."

Karin nodded. Shota laughed. "Have you and Hitsugaya gotten together yet?" he asked. He was playing with the edge of his Zanpakutou. Almost threateningly.

"Why are you back?" she asked completely ignoring the question. It was none of his business.

"Ah, so I guess you have. You certainly look old enough for it."

Karin blushed. "That's none of your business what I do and don't do!"

She heard someone walk into the room behind her. She turned around.

Aimi walked in. She blushed a little when she saw Karin but she looked at Shota.

"I knew I felt Shota's reiatsu," she said, glaring at the person in question.

Karin frowned. She pointed her index finger at Shota."Carriage of Thunder. Bridge of a spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six!"she shouted.

The six rods of light prison caught Shota. Aimi giggled. "Shota, you haven't got any better," she said through her laughter.

Shota smiled a wicked grin that looked even scarier than it did when they were in their first year at the Academy. He used all of his strength to break out of the prison. To Karin's and Aimi's surprise, it broke due to his strength.

"H-how?" Karin asked, stuttering.

Shota laughed. "I told you I would become stronger than you," he said. "I did as I promised."

Karin growled. "We let you go once, why would you return just so that you can get caught again?" she asked, threateningly.

"Have you two mastered your Bankai yet?" Shota asked, leaning against the back of the wall.

Karin could tell that Aimi had no affection for her former crush. "Maybe we have, maybe we haven't," Aimi said mad. "Why are you butting into our live?. You left us years ago."

Shota smiled again. "Does this girl look familiar to you, Karin?" he said grinning.

He got up and opened the door to Karin's closet. Out fell a brown haired little girl with a little bow in her hair. She had her hair cropped short. She had wide brown eyes, opened in fear. Her twin sister.

"Yuzu?" Karin asked.

"Who?" Shota asked. He laughed his evil laugh. He grabbed the girl by her extremely short hair. "This isn't Yuzu." The girl screamed through her gag in protest.

"What do you mean, Shota?" Karin demanded, frowning. "She looks exactly like Yuzu."

"Karin, Karin," Shota said, shaking his head, laughing as if it was too good to be true. "How many years do you think have gone by? This isn't Yuzu, but a descendant of hers."

Karin's eyes opened. By the counting of years, Yuzu must be a grandmother by now. So that means this is her granddaughter.

No one noticed Aimi as she took out her Zanpakutou in one swift movement and stabbed it through Shota.

Karin used this distraction to grab the child out of Shota's hands. She swiftly cut off his left hand, making him release by force the child. Karin used shunpo to run off to Hitsugaya's quarters. He would know what to do. She left Shota in Aimi's hands.

They both knew that Aimi was a powerful Shinigami. Even Shota, no matter how hard he trained, would be able to catch up with her.

"Hitsugaya!" Karin called as she neared his quarters.

He poked his head out of his room. "What do you want?"

Huh, you'd think he'd be a little nicer after he sees you in bed and dated you for almost a century and shared a love with you. Jeez. That's all Karin asked for.

"This is my great niece," Karin explained to him everything about Shota.

Hitsugaya's eyes opened wide. "And you didn't tell me all of this before?" He used a binding spell on the Karin's great niece but unbounded the gag and rope That Shota had used to keep her from moving. He put her in the care of one of the younger Shinigami in his squad that had happened to walk by.

"You lose her or hurt her in any way and you'll die," Karin threatened the poor boy that had the crying girl thrust into his arms.

Hitsugaya yelled for Matsumoto. As usual, she was always eavesdropping nearby. Karin sure as hell hoped that she hadn't seen what had happened last night. By the way that she kept looking at the two and giggling, it gave Karin a strong feeling that she had.

The three of them rushed back to Karin's quarters. There they found nothing. There were only a few blade marks. Aimi was nowhere to be found and neither was Shota.

"Damn!" Karin said hitting her fists together. "Where the hell did they go?"

Matsumoto picked up a note she held it so that Karin and Hitsugaya could see.

"That's Shota's handwriting!" Karin exclaimed.

_'If you thought that Aimi alone could contain me, _

_you were sadly mistaken. _

_Now that I've lost my first hostage, _

_I'll take Aimi instead. _

_I know how close you two are. _

_Come alone to our old soccer field_

_or else she'll be closer to a real death,_

_than she already is._

_Bring lover boy with you_

_and she will die.'_

"AIMI!!" Karin screamed. She ran out the door towards the soccer field. Hitsugaya turned to follow. Karin stopped in her tracks. Hitsugaya had to put the brakes on really fast or else he'll fall on top of her.....again.

"Didn't you read what he wrote?" Karin shouted at Hitsugaya. "Aimi will be dead if Shota even senses your reiatsu!"

Hitsugaya wasn't impressed. "She'll be dead if you go alone," he growled. "How do you know if you are strong enough to face him alone. He has been gone for decades now. He might have used forbidden techniques to make himself stronger."

Karin's anger dissipated. "I can't lose another one of my best friends," she said. "If you go, he'll appear from behind and stab you and then kill Aimi. At least if I go, Aimi stands a fair chance."

"I can take care of myself," Hitsugaya retorted.

"I'm sorry," Karin said.

"For what?"

"This. Carriage of Thunder. Bridge of a spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six!"

The six rods of prison light captured Hitsugaya. He stared at Karin. "Get me out of this!" he demanded.

"I'm sorry." Karin turned around and dashed off.

"Matsumoto!" Hitsugaya said, turning to his lieutenant. "Why hadn't you help me stop her?"

Matsumoto smiled sadly. "I can't," she said. "She's already higher level than me. She's already achieved Bankai, you know that. Nothing I could have done would have made her stop." Matsumoto stepped forward to help Hitsugaya break the prison.

Once they had broken him out of it, Hitsugaya took a shaky breath. The prison had made him weaker. "Matsumoto," he said. "come with me."

He had a plan, didn't know if it would work or not, but a plan all the same.

"Hai, taicho."


	9. Chapter 9: The First Shikai Duel

**Disclaimer: (whoopsie I've been forgetting these!) I don't own any the the Bleach characters. I only own Aimi Naoko. I wish I owned Karin or Hitsugaya but sadly that hasn't happened as of late. Onwards with the story.**

* * *

Karin walked to the soccer field. She remembered when she had first met Shota. They had been so young then. Almost a century younger, ah the good old days. She had always been better than him in soccer.

She probably still was. Not that she'd be the least bit surprised.

Now she was neck and neck with Hitsugaya in soccer and she considered him a soccer genius. Well, Hitsugaya was practically a genius in everything.

It sometimes made her jealous how easily fights and things like that came to him but every time she was on the brink of being really jealous he would do something that made her forget all about her jealousy.

She remembered this one time when he had told her how high his score on the graduation exam was. He had surpassed her own score by only a little and he said that the test was so easy when she was so nervous about it.

When he saw her face's expression ever so slightly he smiled and kissed her and said that she had surpassed his skills in kidou. She felt happy at that moment. She sighed content. Hitsugaya was the guy she always dreamed about...literally.

She wished that it would be just like the good old days. Why had Shota gone bad? It was all nerve wrecking. The weeks after Shota had left, Karin had to tend to a sad and miserable Aimi. She remembered the hard times. She laughed a little. She remembered all of it. She wanted to know if she would be able to get Aimi back from the man that tore her heart. Karin, now able to go back into her memories with great detail, thought she had heard Aimi say _again_.

* * *

_A large amount of years earlier at the Academy  
_

_"Aimi, please stop crying," Karin begged of her best friend._

_Aimi sat quietly in the corner of her bedroom with her back against a pillow. She was huddled in the blankets from her bed. Her face was hidden from Karin but Karin could tell how her mind was in chaos. Karin felt hopelessly lost when she saw tears trickle down the cheeks of her face._

_"Karin, please leave me alone," Aimi murmured. She was trying hard not to sniffle. She kept sucking in to keep snot from coming out of her nose. _

_Karin looked around the room for a tissue. It was in turmoil. The dishes weren't washed or dried. The bed was unmade and practically stripped of all of its sheets and blankets. There were remains of pillows that made had obviously been torn by  
_

_She couldn't see one so she went into the bathroom. This room wasn't much better either. The whole floor was a mess. The water from the tub was running. Luckily there was a drain right next to the tub and saw how even that was flooding. Karin walked to the toilet, trying to carefully avoid the massive puddles of water. She pulled some of the toilet paper from the toilet dispenser. She grabbed a couple of them and then made her way back to Aimi. _

_She handed her the toilet paper. Aimi took it gently and then blew her nose, hard. Karin sat down on the floor next to her. She made a little room so she could lean against some of the pillow too. Her room was really cold. Karin didn't want to complain. She just tucked herself under the blanket with Aimi. _

_"It'll be okay, Aimi," Karin told her encouragingly. "We'll never see him again. He doesn't deserve to see you."_

_Aimi sniffled, blowing her noise in the second piece of toilet paper. She crinkled it up and threw it in the direction of the overflowing garbage can. She missed but she obviously didn't care. She just put her head on Karin's shoulder and cried. This time the tears weren't little streams but numerous Amazon Rivers coming out of Aimi's eyes._

_Karin put her arm around Aimi and hugged her close. Aimi sputtered. _

_"Y-you don't know that," Aimi said through tears. "H-he might come back!" She started to weep again._

_Karin shook Aimi off of her shoulder and turned her head so that Aimi could see Karin's whole looked into her best friend's eyes. _

_"If he ever comes back and hurts you, I will kill him," Karin promised. "I swear it on my life." She held out her pinky. "I pinky swear."  
_

_Aimi gave a sad laugh (it sounded like she was hiccuping) and hugged her best friend. She blubbered for a second and the tears slowly dwindled down and ceased all together. _

_She whispered so softly that if Karin had been a step away from Aimi she would have never heard it. "I can't believe I loved the wrong guy..._again_."_

_Karin looked at Aimi, a bit confused. She decided to dismiss it. Karin had only loved one guy. She was lucky that she found her soul mate so early. She had heard from reading books and stuff that girls normally have lots and lots of boyfriends._

_ Aimi probably had lots and lots of boyfriends. She was beautiful and energetic. Plus she could be shy and she's a very modest and kind person. She was not the kind of person to lie or even hurt anyone. The fact that she had stood up against Shota made Karin realize that the situation was in dire need of some ass kicking._

_Karin stopped her train of thought. She had to work on that. She would have to train her mind to get off of the track of memories that appeared out of nowhere._

_She ran her hand through Aimi's hair. Aimi leaned her hand against Karin's shoulder again.  
_

* * *

"Are you done thinking, Karin?"

Karin clicked out of her memory train. Karin turned to see Shota. Bonded by kidou, Aimi looked helplessly at Karin. Aimi had cuts on her face. Obviously, Shota had tortured a bit. There was a wound on her shoulder that reached across to her belly. It was torn so much that it revealed part of her side. Karin filled up with rage.

"I'm sorry," Aimi told Karin telepathically. "He told me that he wanted to be able to become good again. I'm so stupid to have believed him."

Karin smiled sympathetically. "I understand," she told her friend. She lifted her head to look at Shota.

"What do you want from us?" Karin asked.

Shota gave an exaggerated sigh. "You still don't get it do you?" he asked. He sat down in the grass. "You know exactly what I want."

Karin thought about it for a moment. "Power?"

"No."

"Uh...control over Seireitei?"

"No!"

"Be accepted back into the Academy?"

"NO!"

"Seeing your sister again?"

A vein popped out on Shota's forehead. "How about I tell you what I want?"

Karin smiled. "Sounds good!" She loved to annoy him, regardless that he was the enemy this time or not.

Shota was getting really annoyed at this point.

"I want you."

"Me?"

"Yes."

"But...why?"

Aimi had been using all of her spirit power in order to break the kidou. At this point she was able to. She darted back to Karin when she was able to break free.

"He loves you, that's why," Aimi pointed out. Karin shook her head.

"That's not possible," Karin responded. "I only knew him for a year! How could he get this worked up over me wanting to be with Hitsugaya?"

"He's unworthy of you!" Shota yelled.

"Oh and you are?" Karin asked Shota.

"I may not be worthy but I would treat you better."

Karin was about to kick him in the balls at this point. "You almost kill my best friend and you think you would treat me _better_?" she said, her hands turning into fists.

This man was unbelievable.

"This is so romantic!" Aimi said inspite of herself.

"Aimi!" Karin exclaimed. "Just whose side are you on?"

Aimi blushed. "Whoops," she said. "Sorry."

"I guess I have no choice," Shota said and he pulled out his Zanpakutou. "Slice, Devil's Snake."

His sword turned into a long whip with a snake's head on the end. She had only seen this once before, decades ago. It still freaked her out.

She sighed. "I guess I'll have to use mine too. Slash, Inbijiburu." **(Inbijiburu means 'invisible')  
**

The air around Karin swished and swooshed. Her hair and short kimono flapped in the wind. She was glad that she was wearing shorts underneath.

That would have been very embarrassing. She didn't need the evil guy to see her underwear. Especially since he was in love with her. No need for sexual tension.

Her sword disappeared to the hilt. The weather was under her command. She knew that. She had never even seen the form of her Zanpakutou. All she had heard was a voice that said its name.

"Lightning Crash Down from the Heavens," Karin commanded.

A large flash of electrical power surged down on Shota. He blocked it easily with his Zanpakutou.

"Oh? Your power is that strong?" he asked mockingly.

Karin cursed at him. It was too vile a curse that I don't think I should put it in this story.

"Now, now," Shota said, "no need for the horrible language."

Karin smiled. "For you, there isn't a possible limit."

Shota frowned and used shunpo to land directly in front of Karin.

"Knew you would do that," Karin whispered and stabbed him with her Zanpakutou, in the gut. Blood dripped onto the floor below them. It fell into quite a neat puddle.

Karin smiled. "You haven't improved at all, Shota," she smirked.

Shota opened his mouth to say something in reply when both he and Karin both felt a strong reiatsu. It was so strong, it was almost ridiculous. Karin and Aimi turned their heads to the where the reiatsu was coming from.

Shota stiffened and quickly pulled the sword out of his gut. He kneeled, blood dripping from his wound.

Karin took this opportunity to stab him in the back. She would deal with the insane reiatsu later. She stabbed him through the heart. He wouldn't survive that. He wouldn't hurt anybody anymore. She wouldn't allow him. As he fell, a hand reached out and grabbed his side.

Karin stared in amazement. She had seen Shota and then nothing. She turned to see a man holding up Shota on his shoulder. He looked like he could be the devil himself. The man looked at Shota then at Aimi. He vanished again and grabbed Aimi by the hair. Aimi screamed in protest.

The man looked at Karin and frowned. "You are of no use to me," he muttered and disappeared again.

Karin still held her Zanpakutou with Shota's blood on it. Aimi had just been kidnapped and all she could have done was stand there with her mouth open like an absolute idiot.

"Damn, they're gone!"

Karin turned to see Hitsugaya looking around the scene. Karin sighed. She wiped the blood off of her Zanpakutou as it returned to her normal katana sword on her sleeve. She quickly sheathed it. She then turned to Hitsugaya.

"A strange man took Aimi," she told him with great sorrow.

Hitsugaya wrapped an arm around her. He knew how much she loved Aimi. When Hitsugaya had seen how strongly bonded the two were, he was jealous of the girl at first.

She had become like a sister to Karin in just a short amount of time. Yet, Hitsugaya knew that if she was that important to Karin, Aimi should be that important to him as well.

Karin started to cry. She had promised herself after the death of her mom that she would be strong and never cry again. She just couldn't help herself. Aimi was her best friend and like a sister. She couldn't believe that the person that she cared about with about the same amount of love as Hitsugaya was taken away from her.

Hitsugaya calmly held her. He was surprised that she was crying in his company but he understood. If Hinamori, Matsumoto, or Granny ever had died, he would cry too. He bet that Karin would be there for him to hold him as well.

He hugged her close as she cried on him. The air grew windy and it even started to rain. He knew that Karin's despair was causing this. She did not have know that she was the one that was changing the weather.

She thought that it was all because of horrible timing. Hitsugaya gently pulled back her hair and lifted her chin to look at her face. He gently kissed away her tears. He noticed how her tears tasted.

They were salty but did not have an unpleasant taste. Sh smiled weakly before more tears streamed slowly down her face. What was she going to do? She knew she needed to find Aimi, but how? She needs her best friend right now to find her best friend.

"Where is the Princess?"

Hitsugaya and Karin turned to see thin but lean man staring at them with his arms crossed across his chest, he had a crown tattooed on his left arm. His hair was a chestnut brown and his eyes were a light green. He was glaring angrily at Hitsugaya and Karin. Hitsugaya pulled out his sword as a natural instinct.

The man looked none too surprise to see this. "I wouldn't do that," he murmured. He appeared next to Karin, holding his sword against her throat. Karin was use to shunpo but this man was much faster than that. Karin didn't even see her coming. He was no ordinary shinigami. Karin pulled the spare knife she kept in her back pocket and stuck it to where his liver is. He lowered his sword slowly while Karin turned around with the knife still in place.

Hitsugaya even looked surprise and shocked but he quickly made his face relax and go blank. He recognized that seal.

_The Royal Guard_

_

* * *

_"What do you mean that Aimi is the heir to the Spirit King's throne?" Karin screamed.

Yamamoto frowned. "What else do I mean, lieutenant?" he answered the question with a question.

Karin was so confused. The excited and klutzy _Aimi _was a princess. That meant she is the daughter of the current Spirit King. No wonder she kept her head down in a hoodie when she was practicing for exams.

"Why would royalty allow their heir to the throne then why did the king allow her to be in the Academy and become a Shinigami?" Karin demanded to know.

Yamamoto was becoming sick of Karin's questioning behavior. She needed to learn her place. Yamamoto was about to form to cast a binding spell on her when another person bound her in the Six Rods Prison of Light.

Hitsugaya and Karin both turned to see who did it. Karin was going to beat them up. She paused on the thought when she saw it was Byakuya.

"Captain Byakuya!" Karin said and started to struggle against the kidou.

"I wouldn't do that, Lieutenant Kurosaki," Byakuya said frowning. "It could cause all of your bones to break and then you wouldn't be able to save the Princess."

Yamamoto frowned. "What are you talking about, Byakuya?" he asked. "She's not saving anyone."

Byakuya sighed. "On the contrary," he stated. "while you were talking to Hitsugaya and Kurosaki, the Royal Guard informed all the noble houses that they needed people who were close to Aimi to help search for her. They would know her reiatsu the best. Since Lieutenant Kurosaki has been inseparable from Lieutenant Naoko since they were in the Academy. It is only logical that she goes. We expect Hitsugaya to stay here in case he senses her reiatsu here. You never know, they might come back."

Hitsugaya took a step towards where the bounded Karin lay on her knees. "What do you mean I am to stay here?" he asked. "I have to go protect Karin!"

Yamamoto glared at Hitsugaya. Hitsugaya closed his both. He crossed his arms across his chest. He was not happy with this plan. Who knew what would happen to Karin when she left for the mission.

He wasn't about to let her go off without him. Byakuya let Karin out of the kidou under the orders of Yamamoto. He looked rather displeased to do this. Hitsugaya smiled. She was the sister of the only man who had beaten Byakuya when he used his Bankai. Hitsugaya hoped that soon Karin would beat him too. On friendly grounds though.

Yamamoto got up from his seat and placed his cane on the floor, making a loud bang. Karin and Hitsugaya looked at the Captain-Commander.

"Lieutenant Kurosaki, you will leave with one of the Royal Guard tomorrow morning. Be prepared."Yamamoto banged his wooden crane again and then headed out of the room. She expected he was going back to his quarters.

Karin and Hitsugaya walked back to Karin's quarters after saying bye to Byakuya. He just frowned at them and left.

"One of these days, I'll make him say something interesting!" Karin thought.

Karin opened the door to her quarters.

"G'night," Hitsugaya said and turned to leave.

Karin grabbed his arm. He turned to see her head lowered. "Please stay here tonight," she asked quietly.

She let go of his arm and walked into the room. Hitsugaya followed. He looked around. It had been a while since he had come in here. Karin walked to the bed and looked at the photo that she had packed on that day of her graduation. She stared at it. That was in the good old times when everyone was happy. Or at least acted happy.

Hitsugaya sat on the bed. He looked at the photo too. Karin sat on the bed as well after her legs grew tired of constantly standing and drew the covers around her. She sat Indian style and wouldn't stop staring at the photo. Hitsugaya turned to look at Karin. He was going to miss her. He wondered how long it would take for her to come back again.

Hitsugaya looked out the window. It was nearing midnight. She should get some sleep before she goes on such a big mission. He turned his gaze on her and started to open his mouth to say something. When he saw her sad gaze on the picture, he closed his mouth again. He knew that tomorrow, she would be a machine in search of Lieutenant Aimi...no. The Princess.

Karin turned to smile at Hitsugaya. She could always tell whenever he was looking at her intently. She kissed him with a little tear falling down her cheek. Before they could start another river she looked at the photo. Boy did it bring back memories.

* * *

_Three Years Ago_

_"All of you group together now!" Matsumoto said happily._

_Hitsugaya stood against a tree in the woods. He was in his regular black kimono without the haori on. Karin had begged him to leave it at his quarters. The two of them were always being stared at whenever he wore it._

_If he didn't wear it they would just be mistaken for two people who were so much in love. They never thought about how weird it was for a captain to be dating a student at the Academy. It was actually thought of as very wrong._

_Matsumoto flipped the camera over and over. "How do you take the picture?" she asked._

_Shota, being the only one who remembered all about the real world and its technology moved from Aimi's side to look at the camera. He started to explain to Matsumoto how to click a button in order to take a picture._

_"Okay, gather round!" Matsumoto ordered. "Captain put your arm around Karin's waist. Don't look so shy about it, you two have already gotten closer than that. If you take our you Zanpakutou, Captain, then you wouldn't be able to take a good picture. Aimi, that is a really cute pose. How about you wink while doing the peace sign? Good, good. Shota, get closer to Aimi. Stop trying to keep such a wide bearing from her. Shota, don't look at Karin and Captain. Yes that's right smile like that. Don't look like you're about to die. Okay, everybody! Cheese!"_

* * *

Karin let the memories stop. The abruptly did with some effort. She laughed a little. There was the small blur on the right hand corner of the picture where Matsumoto had covered up the picture a little with her finger. The whole group was sad about it when the picture finally got developed. Matsumoto simply sighed and said that it was _their_ fault for putting her in charge of taking the picture.

_"I don't take the pictures. I make them...beautiful," Matsumoto said, grinning._

It was really funny later because in Soul Society, they didn't have printers. Matsumoto had no idea what to do with the camera. When Aimi first went on her first mission in the real world, she went to the nearest Kodak (or any other photography development) shop and printed out the picture. By then Shota had left. He never got to see the messed up picture.

Hitsugaya put his hand under her chin, making her lose her train of thought. He gently turned her face to face his. He kissed her and then touched her sapphire necklace. She hadn't stopped wearing it since the day of the graduation. He had told her that day that he liked how it looked on her. She had turned red and wanted to wear it everyday, just for him.

It was now or never while she looked so beautiful and sad. He pushed back one of the incredibly long locks of her hair from her face. She had grown it long just for him. He had told her how she looked more mature when it was longer. Her hair had grown curly, not as curly as Matsumoto's, but in delicate waves. Karin had never changed the way she looked since Hitsugaya had said how nice it looked on her. If he ever said that a certain Shinigami uniform looked on her, she would never take it off. This is why Hitsugaya always stays away from the word 'like' around Karin. **(just in case you were wondering! :P)**

"Karin?" Hitsugaya asked. He leaned in towards her. She held perfectly still and watched as he slowly closed his eyes. Then he muttered the words that she had been waiting a long time to hear.

When he kissed her, he could feel her head nod up and down in a signified 'yes'. He pushed her against the bed gently. He never had felt happier than to feel the nod of her head.

The words were:

_"Kurosaki, would you marry me?"_


	10. Chapter 10: Rescue Mission

Karin looked at the man that interrupted her and Hitsugaya. Looked at how he stood. All high and mighty. It was so annoying. She glared at the man. He seemed to be so anxious to leave. He even looked a bit annoyed that they haven't left yet.

"Come on," he growled to the nearest shinigami. "We need to head on out, the Princess is waiting for us to rescue her."

Karin rolled her eyes. All this 'Princess' crap was driving her insane. Can't he even call her Princess Aimi at least? Karin pulled her hands together and stretched it behind her back.

She was so tired. She was woken up at 5 (!!) in the morning by one of the shinigami of Yamamoto. Haven't people every heard of 'every girl needs her beauty sleep?'

Karin had thrown her spare knife at the shinigami messenger, who had a bad break at being the one to wake up knife was a blur to the messenger, unable to stop the blade.

He must have been a new subordinate because he stood there with his eyes wide open, wondering how could he be able to stop a blur of the blade.

"This lieutenant was strong," that was all he was thinking. He didn't even bother to try and stop it. His mouth slowly opened until it looked like it was coming unhinged from his jaw.

Luckily, Hitsugaya was coming nearby to say farewell to Karin, so he stopped the knife before it pierced through the forehead and eventually brain of the messenger. The messenger fainted. Hitsugaya just glanced at him before turning to yell at the snoring Karin.

"Wake up, Karin!" Hitsugaya demanded, kneeling over the guy to make sure he wasn't going into a coma of shock.

Karin had sat up in bed and looked confused. She scratched her head, looking at the knife in Hitsugaya's hand.

"Why are you holding a knife, Hitsugaya?" she asked him, he was holding the edge of the knife with his thumb and index finger. She then noticed Yamamoto's subordinate on the floor, unconscious. "Why is that guy sleeping on the porch? Isn't he cold?"

Hitsugaya just smiled and threw the knife to Karin. She caught it expertly by the handle, holding it an inch from her face. She quickly put it back in her back pocket that she always sewed onto her shinigami uniform.

She was still wearing the very short kimono that Hitsugaya had given to her on the day that Aimi was kidnapped. Which was yesterday. She had been so tired last night that she didn't bother getting changed. She had sewed a quick and sloppy pocket onto the back from the shreds of her original kimono. She patted the knife in the pocket right above her waist.

She was about to put her feet over the edge of the bed and get up for her rescue mission but Hitsugaya gently told her to stay seated. He kneeled in front of her and fingered the sapphire necklace. He kissed it gently. Karin shivered at the touch of his cold lips against the dip in her neck.

"You look beautiful today," he murmured. Karin smiled. He always said that no matter how much her hair looked like a rat's nest or her face was imprinted from sleeping on the side of the bed, or even if she had huge dark bags under her eyes. That's why she was going to become his wife..someday.

Hitsugaya leaned back and pulled something out of his sleeve. Hitsugaya held out something that looked like he had clenched in his hand or in a tight and compact area for a while now. The band was slightly bent. Karin stared at it. She smiled in delight. She looked at Hitsugaya and kissed him full on.

She hugged with all of her force until she heard a clear coughing noise behind her. She broke the kiss and took the object. She looked at the beautiful colors that reflected off of it. The band was silver with the stones set into it. It was so beautiful.

The light from the sun rising was making the colors dance on the ceiling. She gazed at them in delight. The cough sounded again.

Karin, annoyed, turned to give her best death stare at the person who was ruining her happy moment with Hitsugaya. She groaned. It was _him_.

He looked at the object, his eyebrows raised a little. He had the lightest touch of pink on his cheeks. When he noticed Karin looking at him with new curiosity, he quickly cleared his throat again and told her that she was needed and to hurry up.

He then walked quickly away from them, stopping only once so that he could say another demand. He didn't even bother to turn around to say it. Talk about a jerk. He couldn't take the time to look at the person he was talking to.

"The Princess is waiting," he said with authority starting to march off. "Meet me at the Senkaimon Gate within 10 minutes." **(Note: It's the thing that is used for the transportation to the real world) **

Hitsugaya was still looking at Karin, waiting for her to adorn the object. Karin gave him a quick kiss and put it on. It fit perfectly around her wrist. It was a perfect fit. She looked at all the beautiful sapphires that glinted red as if they had rubies hidden inside of them. She held out her arm and adored her new bracelet. She would never take it off. Just like how she never took of her sapphire necklace. It was an engagement bracelet.

"It belonged to my mother," Hitsugaya explained. "She was given it by my father who was given it by Granny. It was what my grandpa gave Granny as an engagement present. He couldn't make a ring so he made a bracelet."

Karin was speechless. She didn't know what to say to such an amazing gift.

Hitsugaya however took it the wrong way. He stammered, "I-if you don't like it, I can get you a ring. I hear that's what they when you ask someone to marry you." He looked at his hand sheepishly.

Karin smiled. He was such a ditz around her. She loved how he lost his cool. She kissed his cheek and stood up from the bed. "I love it," she said, yawning. She walked over to the closet and put on some lip gloss. Dry lips would make it hard for her to be able to concentrate on finding Aimi. She glanced at her reflection, not like what she saw as always and chose to ignore.

Hitsugaya stood behind her and hugged her close and tightly. She put his hands on her stomach and she turned her head to him.

"Do you think I'm getting fatter?" she asked him.

Hitsugaya looked over Karin's shoulder and looked down at her body. "Well your breasts _have _been getting bigger," he commented. "But that's about it. You're going through...er...the thing that begins with a p." He kissed her neck.

Karin dislodged him from her body. She glared at him and flicked him on the forehead. He yelled the expected 'ow' for his new boo boo. Karin put her hand on his head and messed up his hair. Not that she could ever mess it up very much. She kept her hand on his head. She put her hand around his waist and pulled him close. She would miss him, but the longer she stayed with him the less likely she would go to rescue Aimi, wait, the princess.

"D-don't get hurt or die," Hitsugaya said, blushing and turning his head away. "I-i can't lose you."

Karin smiled and pulled him even closer than they already were. "I promise I won't," she whispered in his ear.

Karin kissed him passionately. When she was satisfied with the sensual good bye kiss, she used shunpo to get as far away from him as appeared in the corners of her eyes. She was going to miss him. Who knew how long it would take for her to get back to him? She fingered her new bracelet. She arrived at the gate to the real world. She wondered why in the world they would need Senkaimon.

That's where she was now. She looked at the Gate. She sat on the floor of the tile road that led the way into it, in the traditional Indian style. She hunched over, cherishing her bracelet. She lifted it up to the sky and looked at all the fantastical jewels that glittered and sparkled in the bright sunlight.

She felt like a giddy little school girl when she looked at it. She was _engaged_! She would soon be Mrs. Hitsugaya. _Mrs. Hitsugaya_. What she wouldn't give for that man who took Shota and Aimi to just show up and give back Aimi with a nice little 'here ya go.'

That way she could have her maid of honor (aka Aimi). She didn't care at all about bridesmaids. She didn't care about any other person as much as Hitsugaya and Aimi. Shota use to be part of that list but then he betrayed them. If he or that ugly man so much as hurt Aimi, she would rip them apart from limb to limb.

"Get off the floor, girl," the proud man commanded of Karin.

A two veins popped out on Karin's forehead. "What did you call me?" she questioned.

The man looked at her form the corner of his eye. He was measuring her up. Karin felt uncomfortable under his sharp gaze but she wouldn't dare tell this man that.

"I called you girl," he answered.

"I am not a child, you dumb ass," Karin responded. "Well, I am well over a hundred years old."

The man looked her over again. "I am over a thousand years old," he announced. "You will always be a child compared to me." He then turned away from Karin. "You sure look the part," he muttered to himself.

"What did you say?!" Karin challenged. She pointed to her chest. "Does this look like it would belong to a child?"

The man turned back to Karin and a fresh layer of red took over his cheeks. "Don't do such improper things in public!" he faltered disapprovingly turning a dark red. He turned back around and walked to the Gate.

He was muttering angrily to himself. He walked unsteadily to the Gate. Karin could catch traces of his conversation to himself.

"The Princess has a poor choice in friends..."

"To believe that this girl could help us find Her Highness..."

"Stupid, stupid girl!"

Karin sighed and got up off the floor. This was going to be a long journey. She smiled wickedly. She would have to find the right moments to make fun of this guy. Maybe this was going to be fun after all.

"Who else is accompanying us?" Karin asked as she caught up to him.

The man just frowned. "No one else," he said as if she would know that."Didn't you know that?"

"No," Karin answered. "No one tells me these things." _After all I am still only a lieutenant._

"That's expected," the man replied. "You are only a lieutenant."

Another one of Karin's veins popped out. Now there were three. She would soon become a tomato if he kept talking. Karin did not guarantee his safety. She had her sword that used the weather as a weapon and a pocket knife in her back pocket. She could hurt him in many ways. It was okay for Karin to think it, it was another for the man to say it aloud. Idiot!

She doubted herself for a second. Maybe since he was in the Royal Guard, he would be extra hard to fool or fight. Perhaps practical jokes were out of the question. She really wanted to replace his Zanpakutou with a wooden sword or dye his hair from that brown to green.

She tapped her finger against her chin. She nodded at each idea. The only problem was that he might need those things if he pulled out his Zanpakutou for a battle. A wooden sword wouldn't stand a chance against a real sword. Karin sighed. So the practical jokes were out of the question.

"Darn," she muttered. "I was hoping for a good laugh."

She stopped next to the man and finally asked the question that would help in my telling the story to you. It might give 'the man' a name.

"By the way," Karin asked the man. "what the hell is your name?"

"Hiroshi Isamu," the man answered. "My name means brave, prosperous, and tolerant."

**(Hiroshi is the first name and Isamu is the last.)**

_"Cha right!"_ Karin thought. _"This is guy is not at all tolerant. I will be in a hell of a lot of trouble if this is 'tolerant.'"_

What to do, what to do?

"Let's get going," Hiroshi commanded. "The Princess is waiting for us."

Karin now had four veins popped out. "Stop calling her the Princess!!" she yelled at Hiroshi. "Her name is Aimi! Repeat after me! Aimi Naoko!"

Hiroshi started to look angry. "A commoner as low as yourself does not deserve to call the Princess by her common name!" he spat. "You **will** refer to the Princess as 'the Princess.'"

"She told me to call her Aimi," Karin spat back. "So I shall call her Aimi!"

Karin felt tense. It was so annoying how he kept calling her the Princess this and the Princess that. Annoying annoying annoying. Karin was getting sick of using the word in her mind. She would have to learn a new word equivalent to annoying.

_"Aggravating...." _Karin thought._ "Bothersome.....too lame.....disturbing...not to be used in this context....troublesome....nah.....ah hah! I've got it! Irritating.....wait that's also lame."_

She couldn't think of anything other than to use the good old word 'annoying.' Everything else just sounded weird.

"Hey, what's another word for annoying?" Karin asked Hiroshi.

He didn't notice anything about it. "Bothersome," he answered.

Karin laughed. _"Of course he picked the ultimately lame one!" _she thought happily.

Hiroshi ignored the laughter. "Let's just go, shall we?" he said, bothered by the fact she started to laugh.

He pulled out his Zanpakutou and used door opened and two hell butterflies flew out.

Karin looked at the Gate. "Where are we heading for?" she asked. She wanted to know where she might disappear off to.

"The real world," Hiroshi answered simply. "The Princess's reiatsu was sensed there last."

Karin felt excited. She had not too many memories of the real world. She wished she had retain some of them but sadly it was not as she had wished. Her only vivid memory was when she was sliced in half by the hollow.

Karin walked with the hell butterfly first. She had plans for the real world. She wanted to see everything so she can have some memories. She might even get Aimi something there.

Karin walked into the bright white light. She could see only this light. When the light finally stopped she walked out onto a field of grass next to a river. She looked at the river closely. It was beautiful and oddly familiar.

She felt someone step out onto the grass next to turned to look at Hiroshi.

"Where are we?" she asked him, looking at her surroundings. She searched through her memories but pulled up a blank.

Hiroshi looked at the river. "We are in Karakura Town." He looked at his surroundings. "Horrid place."

Karin on the other hand felt the exact opposite. "Are you kidding?" she asked him. "It's beautiful here."

Indeed it was. There was a beautiful sunset that shone on the river. It was truly amazing. The wind went steadily through the trees and the buildings, circling around Karin in a gently circle. Karin welcomed the wind. It was like welcoming an old friend. She couldn't wait to get a real look around.

Unfortunately for her, that would never come.

Karin turned to Hiroshi. "So what's the deal with you and Aimi?" she asked him. He seemed real touchy whenever Karin mentioned Aimi.

Hiroshi turned away from Karin. Karin tried to walk in front of him to see what he was looking at. He didn't seem to be looking at anything but the past.

**(I was thinking of writing a story about Aimi growing up. Watcha think?)**

"Hello, Isamu-hatsukoi."**(I don't know if I used that right...)  
**

Karin, who was taking in her surroundings didn't feel anyone approaching. She always had that problem. If she ever got distracted for a single second, she would never even know if a person had come up to her and held a knife at her throat.

When she heard the voice, she quickly pulled the knife out of her back pocket and threw it at the person, without seeing who it was. She didn't hear the stabbing of a person. Karin quickly turned on her heels with lightning speed to address the person correctly.

Her eyes opened, wide like doe eyes. There were three people. On the far right was a man she had believed to be dead. Shota smirked, he looked as if he had just gotten out of a refreshing bath then been stabbed through the liver the day was staring at the man that had taken Shota and Aimi earlier. He had an eye patch now. At his side, was a small sword. Was that a Zanpakutou? The thing that really got to her was the fact that he had on his right arm was a tattoo. It was a crown.

"Wait a second," she said, turning to face Hiroshi. "He has the tattoo you have! T-the one that shows you are part of the Royal Guard! Why the hell does he have that?"

Hiroshi ignored her question. His eyes were too intent on the person in between the two villains.

Karin looked at her carefully. Why did she look so familiar? What was with all the familiar things that she couldn't place.

The woman was tall and thin with a few curves and rather large breasts. She was beautiful almost goddess like and had long midnight black hair that framed her face, curling at the edges, and reached just past her breasts.

Her features were over exaggerated. Her eyes were a bright purple, unseen before by Karin. They were large and round with long thick eyelashes. She had a pointed chin and high cheek bones. Her eyebrows were curved giving her a rather sad and worried look. She was tall and looked quite muscular.

Her outfit was a long, navy blue dress which revealed most of her chest, like Matsumoto's kimono. It was form fitted, showing her curves and highly arched back and perfect posture. There was an engraving on the side of her right waist that was in the shape of the tattoo that the Royal Guard had. Next to that was a loose white ribbon that tied around her waist. On it held her Zanpakutou.

Its hilt was held differently. It had more of a flair going on. It had a blue hilt that was curved on its edges and looked like a flower. The end had another white ribbon that looked like it was made of delicate silk. The sword itself had a tinge of a green glow around it. Karin had to admit it was almost as beautiful as its owner.

Her shoes were high heels and looked uncomfortable to be standing in. They were black and the straps wrapped around her ankles. Her long toenails and fingernails had been painted a shiny and sparkly silver that shown red in the sunset light.

The only weird thing about this goddess was that her hands were in front of her in a pained position and she couldn't move very much. It was as if she was bound by something.

"W-who are you?" Karin, slightly intimidated by the woman, asked.

The woman chuckled a bit, but not the evil kind of chuckle. It was more along the lines of 'i can't believe my best friend didn't recognize me in my regular form.' "You don't recognize me, Karin?" she asked her. "It's me, Aimi, remember?"

Karin's muscles tensed up. "A-aimi?" she asked.

This woman looked nothing like the short and perky purple haired girl. That Aimi looked as if she was just becoming a 1st Grader or something like that. This woman looked sad and indeed like what the perfect daughter of a Royal family would look like.

She _was _the princess of the Soul Society's royal family, but Karin couldn't believe that this was the Aimi that had cried and was shy on the first day of school. Karin recalled that day. She hadn't really seen her face.

Maybe that was before Aimi had transformed into her little girl disguise. She had her head hidden in her hoodie after all. She never knew anybody that has changed their appearance. She guessed the Royal Family got taught special techniques so they could go out in public without being recognized.

Hiroshi slapped Karin on the back of the head. "What did I tell you?" he yelled at her, not worried at all at the fact that his enemies were holding Aimi hostage right in front of him. Etiquette came first in his book. "You will address her as the Princess!"

Aimi smiled sadly. "Hiroshi," she addressed him from her rooted spot. "Please don't call me that. I've asked you that already." It was a kind but firm tone.

Hiroshi bowed to Aimi. "Sorry, your Highness," he replied. "I will free you of the kidou." _Oh, that's what it was..._

Karin took it as her cue to slap Hiroshi on the head. "Idiot!" she exclaimed, aggravated by the fact he was busy playing a suck up to Aimi to think about freeing her. "We need to free Aimi before you kiss up to her."

Hiroshi nodded, rubbing the back of his head. Karin reached to her back pocket to realize she had already thrown it. She looked at all three of them to see who had the knife. It was being held in the hand of the large man. He tossed it to Shota who held it up threateningly.

"Let's see who would win in sparring now, Karin," he said, advancing. He pulled out his Zanpakutou.

"Slice, Devil's Snake."

Karin drew out her own sword.

"Slash, Inbijiburu."

Hiroshi quickly stepped forward to try and free Aimi from the kidou. His path was blocked by the large man.

"Isamu," the large man tsked. "you have always been too friendly with the Princess."

"Noburu-sensei," Hiroshi spat at him. "you were on of the greatest of the Royal Guard. You abandoned us when you didn't get Her Royal Highness. All because of that!"

Karin looked form where she was trying to fight Shota. She glanced at Hiroshi. "What the heck?" she exclaimed. "What is with all you people and destroying your friends, students, and family because you didn't get the girl you wanted?" her veins popped out. "Get over it! So they chose someone else, big deal. If you keep looking you'll find the right girl!"

Men could be so thick! There are plenty of fish in the sea.

Aimi looked sadly at Karin. "It's not that simple," Aimi said. "The Royal Guard could not fall in love with any member of the Royal Family. If they did, they would be executed." She glanced at Hiroshi when she said this. "When we cannot get the ones we want due to these rules, some of the Royal Family had disappeared or even committed suicide."

_"Executed?! Suicide?! What the hell is wrong with you people?!"_

Hiroshi frowned at Karin. He looked meaningfully at Aimi. "The Royal Family has strict rules," he explained. "Those who disobey have to either leave them or solve the problem with the _right_ solution."

"What the hell is the _right_ solution?" Karin demanded to know.

Hiroshi kept his eyes on Aimi. "It is exactly as it means," he said with authority again. "If the rules are broken, taking action accordingly to solve them is the right solution."

"That's a load of crap!" Karin argued.

"Don't yell please," said a meek voice.

Karina snapped her head at the voice. Aimi's head was down and at her feet lay a few drops of water. As a drop of water fell to the floor from Aimi's face, Karin saw that they were really tears.

"Aimi," Karin said, meekly as well. "there is no reason to cry."

Karin sighed. Aimi was always looking weak in front of the enemy. Karin's unsheathed sword hilt was held tightly in her hand. She looked at it and then at the men that had taken her best friend hostage. Her angered increased until all she felt was rage. Her grip on the hilt of her sword increased until the veins in her hands stuck out. Her mind was in chaos as she thought of what to do to free Aimi.

Soon she wasn't thinking sanely anymore.

She snapped her fingers and the air around Shota began to thicken and thicken. It quickened until a small whirlwind enclosed Shota. The sky darkened until it was pitch black, a few hours too early. It began to drip rain slowly. Shota was unable to escape. If he tried, he'd be chopped up.

All of the observers watched in total silence as the wind slowly cut up Shota. There was blood everywhere and many slices all over his body. The wind was slowly slicing him into fresh sushi. Shota screamed in pain as blood gushed from his wounds.

"Karin, stop it!" Aimi yelled from where she sat in Hiroshi's arms. Karin had lost all of her sense already. Even though her power was sealed so that she didn't unbalance the real world and soul society, she still had so much power that the whirlwind around Shota was slowly becoming a small tornado. If it continued like this, she could harm Karakura Town.

The ugly man stepped forward to help his comrade but as he reached out to touch it, his fingertip was sliced off. He let out a scream from the pain. He quickly stepped back, holding the place where his fingertip use to be. Blood fell to the floor in front of him from the wound. He turned around and charged forward to Karin. He swiftly pulled out the sword that was held onto his side.

"Stop, Noburu-sensei!" Aimi screamed.

Noburu stopped in his tracks. He was a foot away from where Karin stood, the purple glow of a barrier surrounding her. He turned back to Noburu with maniac grin on his face.

"You don't order me around anymore, _your Highness_," he said sarcastically. He turned his head slowly. It creaked as if it were on rusted hinges. Karin frowned, hesitant to attack him. Her hands trembled a little. It was kind of creepy.

"Did _her Highness_ ever tell you about _why_ she escaped to the Academy, oh so long ago?" he whispered menacingly.

Shota groaned. "Not this stupid story again!" he said putting his hands on his hips.

Noburu grabbed a knife from his back pocket and threw it at Shota. It whisked past his ear. Shota could feel the wind. A tiny cut appeared on the side of his face, bleeding down his neck and onto his shirt. He stumbled back in a delayed reaction.

"Yo, dude," Shota yelled at Noburu. "I thought we were on the same side."

Noburu howled with laughter. "Me on the same side with a lowly person like you?" he said through his laughter. He was laughing so much that tears streamed down his face.

Karin's hands gripped ever tighter around the hilt of her sword. The air grew sharper and whirled around Noburu. It cut his body but Noburu just gave a creepy grin.

"I'll tell you the story," Noburu whispered. "But you better be prepared for it."

Karin yowled. "Yeah right!" she said. "I don't have time to listen to your pathetic story."

Aimi whispered, "You might want to hear it, Karin-chan."

Karin turned to stare at Aimi. "What is so important that is outranks your chance to be freed?"

Aimi turned her face from where she looked at her knees. "It's all because of me that we are in this situation," she whispered, just loud enough for Karin to hear. "I think you might want to know the reason why."

Karin shook her head and smiled at Aimi, reassuringly. "Once I take care of these losers," she said, courageously, "then I'll listen to your story."

While Karin was reassuring Aimi, Noburu charged her. Having the upper advantage of surprise, Noburu cut through the barrier with ease. Karin looked at him shocked. _How did he do it?_

Noburu smiled his really creepy grin again. "Goodbye, _Karin-chan_," Noburu whispered in her ear. He brought his sword next to her left thigh and plunged it in, dragging it up the side of her body.

"**Karin!**" Aimi screamed with horror.

Karin's eyes went dull and she fell slowly backwards.

"I'm sorry Hitsugaya," she whispered. "I didn't keep my promise." She fell into a heap.

Aimi got up from where she sat and staggered over to Karin's body. It wasn't too far. As soon as she got to her body, she collapsed, kneeling over Karin.

"K-karin?" a low voice muttered.

Aimi looked up and saw Hitsugaya. She had tears streaming down her eyes and onto Karin's body but mostly her wound. Now was not the _best_ time for Hitsugaya to come to his fiancee's rescue. She looked away from Hitsugaya, guilty that it was her fault that Karin died. She peeked at Karin's face. It was blank and it looked at nowhere.

"**Karin!**" Hitsugaya wailed. He lurched his body forward to Karin's body. He reached out his hand to her. He hesitated, as if he didn't want to accept the fact that she's dead.

He whipped his head around to face Noburu. The air drastically cooled and the whole area of land slowly turned to ice.

Shota slipped and fell as he tried to move forward to Karin's body. He looked up at Noburu, rage on his face.

"Y-you killed Karin!" he said, his voice slowly getting louder until it was a yell. "That wasn't our plan! That wasn't the plan!"

Noburu dismissively flicked his hand at Shota. "I don't give a shit about _your_ plan," he explained. He looked determinedly at Aimi. "My plan was to kill the daughter of the woman I loved," he murmured. No one heard him but Aimi.

Shota growled. His Zanpakutou had reverted back to its normal form. Shota held it up.

"Slice, Devil's Snake," he yelled.

The Zanpakutou changed into multiple snakes all attached to the hilt of his sword. He rose it up.

The snake heads all looked at Noburu. They lunged quickly at him.

"W-what?" Hitsugaya asked, astonished.

The snakes drove themselves into Noburu's body and out the other side. They broke through all the major organs and other sort of scientific stuff, making it impossible for Noburu to have survived. Blood splashed through the air. It landed neatly in front of where Noburu's body collapsed.

"Well this is not what I expected."

Hitsugaya turned to see Matsumoto behind him. She had already noted Karin's lifeless body in front of Aimi. She didn't want to look Hitsugaya in the eye.

"Too bad you didn't get to avenge Karin's death," she muttered.

Hitsugaya frowned. "You're right." He turned his back on Shota and Noburu's lifeless body and walked towards Karin, tears forming in his eyes.

"You dare plunge your half-ass snakes through me?" a giant voice thundered.

Hitsugaya turned swiftly on his heel in the direction Noburu fell. "N-no way!" he exclaimed.

Noburu was alive and well. He had an amused look on his face, as if he was laughing inside.

Hitsugaya pulled out his Zanpakutou and examined his situation.

Noburu had any holes through his body, like I said, through the major organs. Yet, he was still breathing even though his lungs had been majorly punctured. He stood up and glared at Shota. He dashed to his side and drove his sword through Shota's heart. There wasn't any possible way that he could still be alive. Somehow, he was.

"No one," Noburu explained with his creepy grin again. "No one ever tries to kill me."

Aimi didn't look at all surprised. She just looked blankly at Hitsugaya. He was the only one who could stop Noburu after all.

"He has taken the lives of the students that have consented to it," she told Hitsugaya. "This has made him immortal. He forced their consent and so they are now the bodies that he uses in order to die as many times as he needs. Your only choice is to freeze him and keep him that way."

Hitsugaya nodded. He quickly pulled out his Zanpakutou. The words formed on his lips. The air around him gave out a menacing aura.

Noburu backed away. Even he wasn't skilled enough to take the rage of the boy genius. He pulled out his sword, prepared for anything. He beamed evilly as his wounds made by the now deceased Shota, were healing up now. It was all due to the lives he took and the magic he formed from their souls. His last thoughts were, _Curse you, Chou_. He smiled a real genuine smile but that didn't save him from what Hitsugaya had to say.

"Bankai."


	11. Chapter 11: Funeral

Hiroshi whistled.

"Did you really have to freeze him with his body cut up?" Matsumoto asked, sighing. She rubbed the back of her neck, looking at the stunning sight.

"I think this is the best way for sensei to be put to rest," Hiroshi disagreed with Matsumoto.

The sight they were looking at was a field of multiple ice columns. There were about twenty to thirty of them with about twenty to thirty pieces of Noburu inside of them.

Matsumoto shivered. She glanced wearily at her captain. She would _never_ cross him.

Hiroshi was thinking about the same thing. He scooted a bit ways from Hitsugaya, giving at least a yard or so from himself.

"Well," she said, giving her best fake smile. "at least it is all done...cleanly."

Hitsugaya wasn't looking at Matsumoto or hearing her. Same thing applies to Hiroshi. He gazed sadly upon his dead fiancee.

"This is the last time, Karin," he whispered so softly

Pressing his lips softly against hers, he pulled her dead body close to his. He pressed against her body gently and then put her back down.

"There is no need for the drama," Aimi said from her spot next to Hitsugaya. "She may live. At least if she tries from her current state in limbo."

Hitsugaya, shocked, turned his head to her. "What do you mean?" he demanded.

"Just watch."

Aimi's eyes brimmed with her tears, slowly dripping down her face. The tears fell onto Karin's wounds. _Drip...drip....drip..... _Hitsugaya saw that it cleaned out the blood.

Aimi promptly pulled out a plastic syringe. Where did she get that? She quickly injected it into her arm, like you would do whenever you take blood for a donation. When she pulled out the plunger, taking out her blood, slowly.

"What's wrong with that blood?" Matsumoto asked, peering at the liquid that filled the syringe.

The blood that had come from Aimi's vein was not the normal deep red color. It was a bright purple.

Hiroshi stared in amazement. He remembered that blood. It had saved his life once.

"You can't waste your blood on such a lowly citizen," he argued.

Hitsugaya's vein popped out. He was getting mad (obviously).

"My fiancee is not a _lowly_ citizen," he clenched his fists. "One more peep out of you, and you'll be like your precious _sensei_."

Hiroshi shut his trap. He didn't believe that Aimi needed to have spared her blood when _he_ had been fatally wounded. He didn't want her to become anemic. It has been centuries since they had seen each other. Who knows how much of her blood was expelled from her blood stream?

Aimi found the place at Karin's heart. She felt Karin's chest to see where the rib that covered the heart was. Would she be able to get the syringe tip to reach it? Karin must have been developing for a while now. Her chest would be a problem. Aimi dug through her Shinigami robes and found a really long needle. I mean _really_ really long. It looked like she was trying to stab someone and not heal them.

Matsumoto shook her head encouragingly at Aimi carefully replaced the short needle with the longer one, trying not to spill even an ounce of blood. Matsumoto looked at her chest. She would probably need the really long one too.

Aimi promptly but carefully placed inserted the needle into Karin's body. When she thought that it had inserted itself into the heart, she pressed the plunger in. All of the bystanders watched as Aimi's blood went into Karin's body, slowly. When all the blood in the syringe had been inserted, Aimi drew the syringe out.

The air grew cold and silent. The whole group watched for something to happen.

"Why isn't it working?" Hitsugaya mumbled. The tears were coming down his face.

Matsumoto watched them drip down. She didn't comment on it. Now was not the time for her silly antics. She just looked on sadly.

Aimi started to cry too. She bent down and used kidou to heal Karin's wound. The skin began to close up, but no blood came out. Aimi had expected that. If Karin was still alive, the blood would still be running. Seeing as how it stopped, showed that Karin passed away...again.

Soon the wound on her left side closed up, leaving no trace of her even being harmed. Aimi put her hands over Karin's eyes and gently closed them. She pushed back the wavy hair from Karin's face and straightened her necklace. Aimi took off her bothersome heels and started to pick up Karin. Karin's limp body seemed light. Guess death those that to you.

Hitsugaya watched as Aimi carried her bother over to him. She gently lifted it so that Hitsugaya could take it. He held out his arms and took Karin from Aimi. Karin's arm dropped. The moonlight shone now that it was nighttime and Karin's light had faded slowly away. Hiroshi came up to Hitsugaya and placed the now split in half Zanpakutou in Karin's other hand. It glinted a sapphire glow. Aimi looked to see where the sapphire color could come from.

That's when she noticed the bracelet. She thought it was very pretty but she wondered when Karin had obtained such an accessory.

"It was an engagement bracelet," Hitsugaya muttered, already walking away, towards where he had entered from the Soul Society. "That's why I have been saying fiancee."

Aimi mouth dropped in surprise. She was so wrapped up in trying to save Karin, which she cried on the inside that it was a total failure, that she hadn't notice how Hitsugaya had kept referring to Karin as 'my fiancee.'

Aimi dropped her head. Matsumoto grew stiff at the tense atmosphere. She took out her Zanpakutou and inserted it into the air. She unlocked the Senkaimon Gate. Out came four black as death butterflies.

_I guess that a dead person doesn't need a hell butterfly_, Hitsugaya thought.

He walked through the door, his tears flowing behind him as he went. Matsumoto picked up Shota's body while Hiroshi cut out the body parts, ice chunks included, of the ice columns. He placed them in a bag that he kept on him and tied the top. He said some words that sealed the bag shut, just in case Norubu wasn't frozen after all. It was very unlikely though. Soon the whole group stepped out out the gate, back in Soul Society. There waiting for them were all the captains. Hitsugaya didn't dare look at any of them in the eye, least of all

"Yo, Hitsugaya," he said. He strolled up to him. "Why is Karin sleeping in your arms? Whose this? Where's Aimi?"

Ichigo was staring at Aimi. He hadn't seen her without her disguise on. He was staring at her. Why did her purple eyes look so familiar?

Rukia, his lieutenant/wife, had already grasped the situation. She quickly bounded her husband in kidou. She didn't want him to cause a scene in front of Yamamoto.

"Hitsugaya?!" Ichigo yelled. "What is wrong with Karin?!"

Hitsugaya simply walked away with Karin in his arms. He never looked back no matter how many foul words Ichigo screamed at him.

He stopped briefly to say, "I'll let you know about the funeral."

When Ichigo heard this, he went into to a rage. He was yelling as many curse words as the mind could imagine.

_Next time, they need to come up with a binding kidou for the mouth,_ Rukia thought, punching Ichigo in the mouth. He quickly shut up.

Matsumoto gently placed Shota's body in front of Yamamoto. "He was killed by his comrade, Norubu, exiled Shinigami of the Royal Guard," she informed him, kneeling. "His body was cut up and frozen in different bodies of ice, ensuring he won't be able to regenerate from his students' souls. What do you want us to do with him?"

Yamamoto looked at the bag held in Hiroshi's hand. "That is for the Royal Guard to decide," he said. "As for Shota, we shall bury his body where all the bad souls go."

Matsumoto shuddered. A Shinigami in a white cloak like Yamamoto's, came up and picked up Shota's body. He used shunpo to disappear and dispose of the traitor. Aimi watched him sadly go. She knows that Shota had never really cared about her, but she still loved him, if anything, as a brother. No matter how evil he became, she still had feelings for him.

Aimi turned in the direction that Hitsugaya had disappeared. She would help him arrange the funeral. She cried again, as she turned away from Hiroshi, whose eyes bore into her back. She didn't have time to deal with drama.

She found Hitsugaya in his quarters, pulling out the dress that Karin wore on the night of the party. It was still cute and unwrinkled. Hitsugaya swiftly undressed Karin from her blood soaked kimono and placed on the dress.

"We should bury her as quickly as possible to let her soul rest," Hitsugaya decided, not really talking to the new arrival in his room.

Aimi nodded silently and put make up on Karin's face. She wanted her best friend to die as beautiful as she always was. She curled her hair so that is lay out next to her body. She put on the heels that she had been wearing during the battle. They were new so Aimi didn't mind putting them on her. They were unscratched.

"You better go tell everyone," Hitsugaya muttered, watching Aimi at work. "I'll get a coffin."

Aimi nodded and headed outside. She sighed, a tear trickled down her cheek. She didn't want to cry. She had to hold back the tears. She did with all of her will power. She hadn't saved her best friend, what use was she?

* * *

The funeral took place later that day. Rukia had released Ichigo from the kidou. All of the Shinigami in Seireitei had gathered for the funeral. Karin would have never admitted it, but she was very popular, especially with the guys. Many of the Shinigami were crying, men and women alike, but none were crying as much as Matsumoto and Aimi.

"S-she was the b-best shopping buddy _ever_!" Matsumoto sputtered through big fat tears.

Aimi just stared at her legs silently and cried.

The funeral was one where the coffin would be lowered into the ground. Byakuya had eventually allowed Karin to be buried in the Kuchiki residence since she was after all, a sister-in-law. All the Shinigami were seated on folding chairs. A Shinigami was saying the words that a priest burying a person of the church might say. At the front row was Hitsugaya, Matsumoto, Aimi, Ichigo, and Rukia. Byakuya had refused to attend the funeral. He had been friends with Karin and he didn't want anyone to see him cry. It was all for his _pride_.

The procession went boringly. The air was just perfect as was the weather. Only the front row was cold. Hitsugaya hadn't bothered to control his reiatsu. He was sad again, he had lost her twice, now this time, for good.

Hitsugaya promised himself that he would never fall in love with another woman, ever. He had lost his soul mate. They were still so young...well they looked it.

As the coffin began to lower down, the whole group was in for a surprise. The coffin shook.

"What the-?" Hitsugaya said, looking at the rocking coffin.

"GET ME OUT OF HERE!!!" a voice screamed.

The whole procession sat quietly. Soon the whole gathering was in chaos.

"Did someone just say something...."

"Who the hell said that?"

"Is the thing that lowers the coffin broken?"

"Did anyone just hear that voice?"

"I'm scared."

"Do you think that Karin's ghost came to haunt us?"

"I always thought she was a bit spooky."

"STOP TALKING AND GET ME THE HELL OUT OF HERE!"

Hitsugaya jumped up from his seat and quickly opened up the coffin.

Out popped Karin, her face flushed from anger. She jumped out. Her heel messed up her walking pattern, she quickly tripped and fell.

"Who put these stupid heels on me?" she asked, glaring at the procession. "And who in the world would lock me up? I haven't done anything."

"K-karin?"

Karin snapped her head at Hitsugaya. Her hard gaze softened. "T-toushiro," she whispered quietly, trying to get up. He laughed and kneeled down next to her. She kissed him.

The gathering went into chaos .... again.

"She's alive?!"

"I dragged my butt all the way out here because I thought she was _dead_."

"Is this some sick joke?"

"That can't be possible, my captain, Unohana, checked Karin's pulse herself. She had concluded that Karin had died."

"Well Karin's smacking on Hitsugaya. Does that look _dead_ to you?"

"Break it up you two! Hey! THERE IS NO NEED FOR YOU TWO TO BE SHOWING SO MUCH LOVE!!"

Karin and Hitsugaya's veins popped out. They broke apart and turned to glare at the person who had told them to break it up. Karin quickly dislodged herself from Hitsugaya and ran to hug said person. The rims of her eyes began to fill up with tears.

"Sorry I scared you, Ichi-nii," she said, hugging him.

Ichigo's mad face loosened up. He wrapped his arm around Karin's back and rubbed it. "It's okay," he said. "As long as you don't die anytime soon...again, that's fine."

"H-how did you survive?"

Karin started a little. _How did she survive? _She shrugged as she turned to see who was questioner. She let go of her brother and hugged the next person to interrupt her happy moments.

"Aimi!" she said, squeezing her friend tight.

"It was because of Aimi she survived."

Karin looked over Aimi's shoulder to see Hiroshi standing there, trying to look as if he didn't care that Karin would live on to another day. He failed miserably.

Karin took in what he said, never the less, and looked at Aimi. Aimi looked as if she had been crying for nights without end or sleep. Karin gave a small smile and took Aimi's hands in hers.

"Did you save me?" Karin asked.

Aimi shook her head. "You must have had the willpower to live on," Aimi said. "My treatment only works on those who have will to live. If you had resigned to dying and purifying your soul forever, you would have left us."

Karin nodded, thoughtfully. "I needed to stay alive," she explained. "to marry Hitsugaya." She looked at Aimi and grinned evilly. "And to learn of your story."

Aimi sighed and smiled weakly. "I forgot I promised to tell you that, didn't I?" she exhaled in disbelief. "Of all the things to want to come back for."

The procession looked on that sweet moment in total and absolute silence. It was numbing and awkward for the other people.

"What happened to the creepy man and Shota?" Karin asked, breaking the silence in half. She had been too busy wanting to greet her friends again.

Matsumoto felt relieved. Leave it to Karin to make her feel better. "The creepy man killed Shota and Hitsugaya avenged your death by chopping up the creepy man like sushi and easily freezing the body parts in different ice chunks." She smiled like this wasn't gross.

_Ew..._ Karin didn't want to think at all about Shota. It would ruin her happy moment of being alive again. She didn't know what death felt like. It was just dark and there were no emotions. She shuddered. She'll never go back there again.

"Um..." Hinamori asked, coming up beside Matsumoto. "can we leave since there is no point in a funeral?"

Hitsugaya nodded and sent everyone packing.

When everyone had left grumpily about having to take the time out of their day for a funeral that wasn't really a funeral...it's hard to explain...and then had to go back to work, Hitsugaya kissed Karin again, but quickly, and while Ichigo's back was turned. He didn't want Ichigo to start lecturing them about public displays of affection. He then hugged her and then whispered, "You kept your promise."

"I can't very well break a promise to my fiancee, could I?"

"When are you guys going to have the wedding?" Aimi piped up.

Karin and Hitsugaya broke apart. Why were their moments always to be broken up by their family and friends?

Karin shyly looked at Hitsugaya. "Whenever you want," she said.

Hitsugaya thought about it. He looked around the area. "Why don't we just have it now?" he asked.

Karin looked around too. All of her family and closest friends were here, so why not? "Who's going to say the words that will bind us together?" she asked.

Rukia smiled. "Me of course," she said. "I have to be a great sister in law after all."

And so, the couple that have endured many things were married in the place where the bride was about to be buried. Isn't that romantic?


	12. Chapter 12: The End

this is the last chapter and it's fairly short. It's just kind of an epilogue.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

_Decades later...._

_Day 1  
_

"Wait a second!" Mrs. Hitsugaya said to her best friend. "You never told me your story."

Aimi rubbed her neck. "You finally remembered huh?" she asked.

"Well, after you became the queen of the Soul Society, how could I not forget?" Karin asked, a little irritated at her own absent minded-ness. "How's your husband doing anyway?"

Aimi blushed. "H-he's doing great," she murmured, staring at her knees. "I don't think he likes being pampered so much. He still likes to keep his tattoo though. Our stylist had volunteered to use the laser to take it off. You know the one that people in the real world use, but he deadly refused. He always feels like he's a part of the Royal Guard, he won't give it up."

Karin shrugged. "Well if Hiroshi wasn't such a pain in the butt, he would have gotten over it and used the laser."

"How's Haru doing?" Aimi asked, desperate to change the subject.

"Oh, he's doing great!" Karin gushed, unaware of Aimi's true intentions. Not that she cared. She always took an opportunity to brag about Haru. "He has just started to annoy his cousin. I think he's going to be a splendid Shinigami. He can already spar at a high enough level with Ichigo's son.

Ichigo's girl is already beating up her big brother. The girl of the Kurosaki family is just like her mom, except for her amazing amber hair. Maybe that's why Ichigo named her Kohaku, because of her hair. I'd say Ichigo is trying to teach his son that girls _can_ defeat boys. All he has to do is take it like a man.

I think my big brother is finally admitting defeat to the hard hand of Rukia. Maybe her son is admitting it to. ."

Aimi laughed. "Bout time," she agreed.

"Here is your drink, miss," their waitress said. She placed a carton of milk in front of Aimi. Rather, _another_ carton of milk.

Aimi smiled and thanked the waitress. She opened up the carton and chugged all of the milk down. Karin just stared at her best friend while the remnants of the milk went down the hatch with a large gulp.

"You don't need to drink that much milk," Karin said. She glanced at the five milk cartons, next to Aimi, on the table at which the wives were talking. "A baby doesn't need that much."

"But I want the baby to come out all round and fat," Aimi pouted, rubbing her round belly. "Maybe I should also get some cookies."

Karin chuckled. "There's fat and then there's obese," she countered. "You're lucky that Mei came out nice and thin."

Aimi waved a hand unconcerned. "That girl would never get fat, she has amazing metabolism."

The two looked at each other, grinning, but there was something behind that grin. They both knew that they were thinking the exact same thing. One of them just had to step up and ask the question tearing at their hearts. But who?

"D-do you ever think of him?" Aimi asked. Ah, her.

"Who?"

"Shota."

"O-of course."

"Do you think his soul has been recycle back to the real world?"

"Probably."

"D-do you ... m-miss him?"

"Which him?"

"Before."

"Yeah. But he wouldn't remember us even if we recognized his soul. The chances of us meeting him in the real world are slim enough."

"Yeah."

"Wait another second! You have to tell me the story."

Aimi glanced at her watch. "Oops," she said. "Have to run. I have a meeting with all the nobles."

She dashed away, her pregnant body slowing her down a bit.

Karin's vein popped out. "Get back here, Aimi!" Aimi kept on running. "Tell Rukia and Byakuya I say hi!"

Karin looked around the cafe and exhaled deeply. She took a drained the last of her coffee and stood up. After pushing in the chair she had used and dropping some money on the table, she walked away, still in her short Shinigami uniform. The difference was that now she had adorned a short haori captain's robe with the number '5' on the back of it. She had cut it really short so that it layered on top of her already short uniform. Fashion was a statement after all. When she had done that at the first captain's meeting she swore that Yamamoto's eyes had popped out in rage, but she also thinks that a bunch of the male captains, Hitsugaya included, were staring at her legs.

Hinamori was still the lieutenant. She was originally offered the captain position but respectively declined. She didn't want to wear the robe that Aizen had once worn. Karin had respected that and took on the role.

All the other nominees were worried about it being a cursed position or something. Karin wanted to prove them wrong. She walked along a road of Sereitei. She glanced at the sky. It was about time she made lunch for her son. Humming to herself, she danced along the path, ignoring the gazes of bystanders. They should be use to this by now. No matter how old Karin looked and how wizened she appeared to be, she is still but a child.

"You look very beautiful today, Karin," a deep voice said behind her.

Karin turned around. Could it be? She sighed in relief as it was just Hitsugaya. He jumped down from where he sat on a rooftop and landed neatly beside her.

"I'm sorry," he said slyly, taking a hold of her hand, kissing the back of it. "I meant Captain Karin Kurosaki."

Karin blushed to the roots of her hair. "You don't have to be all formal now," she said, slapping the top of his head with as much force as possible.

Wincing from the slap and rubbing his head, Hitsugaya smiled and kissed her. "Ready to go home?" he asked, walking hand in hand with her down the street.

"Yup," Karin said, gazing at the sky. The sky was very azure and had lots of white fluffy clouds as usual. "It is so beautiful today. So peaceful."

"Yeah," Hitsugaya agreed. "Let's hope it stays that way for a while."

"Mhm... hope."

* * *

_Day 2  
_

"How is the story going, Mom?"

Aimi looked up from where she was writing. She was staring into the large pink eyes of a tall girl, for her age. Aimi smiled and pecked the boy on the forehead.

"How are you, Mei?" she asked. "How's my little girl doing?"

The door opened and Hiroshi walked in partially, standing in the doorway. "I'd hardly call Mei a 'little' girl anymore," he commented, walking over and ruffling his daughter's head.

"That's right!" Mei piped up. "I'm not little anymore!"

Aimi laughed and stacked her newly written papers neatly together. "To me you'll always be my little girl," she disagreed. She glared at her husband. "No matter what anyone says. No matter how old anyone really is." Glaring at her daughter.

Mei pouted and looked at the papers in Aimi's hands. "So how is your story going, Mom?" she asked again.

Aimi glanced at them and handed them to Hiroshi. He took them without complaining and left the room.

"I finally finished," she said, happily, jumping up form her chair and did a little happy hop.

"What are you going to call it?" Mei asked, sighing. How did she end up with a child as a mother?

"I named it 'Your Queen Yesterday'," Aimi said, stopping in mid hop.

"Why?" Mei asked.

"Well... just because," Aimi answered. "I think I had too much sake when I named it...but your father already took it away so it's too late to change it."

Mei frowned. She looked out the window. It was nearing midday from what she could tell. It was almost time!

"Can I go and visit Haru now?" she said casually but Aimi could tell a little excitement in her voice.

Aimi smirked. "Do you have a crush on him?" she asked, cooing and pulling Mei's cheek.

Mei blushed and swatted away Aimi's hand. "N-no!" she stammered, trying to hide her small smile. "That's gross! Haru isn't in the least bit likeable."

Aimi smiled to herself and cleaned up her desk. "Whatever," she said.

Mei gaped. "I-it's true!" she said, trying to reassure herself more than Aimi.

"Okay, okay," Aimi said, shooing her daughter out of the room. She closed the door after she walked out of the room too. "Run along, you're giving me a migrain."

She watched as her daughter scampered away in /her royal clothes. Aimi looked down at her own attire. More fancy robes that leave no room for running or really jumping. She had to secretly make a small Shinigami outfit for her daughter to wear whenever she played with Haru.

Haru and Mei spent all their time together. Aimi had to practically force her daughter to spend time with her and Hiroshi today. Yet there goes her daughter to spend more time with her best friend who happened to be her best friend's son.

"What am I going to do with that girl?" Aimi asked herself, walking down a long hall, that led to her quarters. She quickly took off the fancy schmancy robes and put on her old Shinigami lieutenant uniform.

"I gave the story to the publisher and editor," Hiroshi said, coming into the room. He walked over to Aimi and wrapped his arms around her waist. They both were looking out a large window with delicate green curtains tucked into ties on the side of it.

"It's so beautiful today," Aimi noted, holding Hiroshi's arms.

"It's peaceful," Hiroshi commented. "I can't believe that I had to go and save you just two centuries, give or take a decade, ago from that fool, Shota."

Aimi looked at him in disbelief. "If that never happened we wouldn't be together and with Mei, despite the rules."

"That rule is long gone though since you ascended to the throne," Hiroshi said. "It's great having the queen of the Soul Society as a wife."

"Sure," Aimi responded with sarcasm clear in her voice. "But you're right. It is very peaceful nowadays."

"What do we do now?" Hiroshi asked.

Aimi laughed. "We enjoy the peace, while it lasts."

"How long do you think that'll be?"

"Hopefully, we'll be retired by then and Mei will be the new queen."

"You really want to put something like that on our daughter?"

"Maybe. But I'm afraid she has too much spirit and she doesn't even care for Soul Society."

Hiroshi nodded. "Remember when she ditched the meeting to go and meet Haru?"

Aimi smiled, nodding. "Those two are close."

Hiroshi kissed Aimi on the cheek and then released her. "I have to go and talk to the Guard," he said, walking towards the door.

He stopped when he opened it and turned around. "Hey," he started. "did you ever feel like there was a fourth person there at the battle with sensei and Shota?"

Aimi's brow furrowed but she shook her head. "I ... don't....think so."

"Just asking," he left.

Aimi turned back to the window, brow still furrowed. "Was there?"

* * *

_Day 3_

"Do you think there was?" Aimi asked Karin as they sat in the same cafe. She had just relayed her time yesterday.

Karin drinked her coffee, nonchalantly. "What makes you think that someone else would be involved with such a rotten time of our lives?" she asked coldly. "You want there to be another villain on the loose, trying to steal the crown or something?"

Aimi shook her head, looking defeated. Karin wished that Aimi would stop briningup things that were so troubling. Yes, now that she focused harder on the events that night, she thinks that maybe there was a fourth reiatsu. But it was obviously very weak so the person was probably just another living person with high reiatsu. There are so many in Kurakura Town. It is getting ridiculous. Soon the Soul Society won't be able to keep mass chaos from happening with every three out of four people seeing hollows and of course, shinigami.

Last time that Karin went back the to the real world, there were a bunch of teenagers that could identify her. Maybe they are descendants of Ichi-nii's friends and Yuzu. One of them even looked like the great great great...ummm...great granddaughter of the granddaughter of Yuzu. It was difficult to understand just how many generations have gone by when you're dead. They had sent back the granddaugter of Yuzu when Karin had gotten back from discovering Aimi's capture.

It wasn't as if Karin didn't love her best friend, but did she have to bring up such morbid subjects? Just the other day she was contemplating death. Death! Karin shook her head as they had a discussion about what death must feel like. Karin said that it felt like nothing, but Aimi wondered if it is the feeling of absolute nothing and seeing nothing of blackness. Karin really wished at that moment to have changed the subject before Aimi freaked her out even more.

"I'm just worried about our kids," Aimi told Karin, after being rebuked. "This fourth person might be trying to do something to them because we escaped his or her grasp."

"I think that we should just let it be for now," Karin said.

Aimi didn't nod or give any response. Karin wondered what was going through her mind. Their mind link has gotten weaker and weaker over the years. Karin hoped that it would get stronger as they hung out more but Karin didn't know.

"Karin!"

Karin head turned to where her name was called. She found Hitsugaya running towards her, eyes huge with fear. Behind him, he could see Hiroshi. Why were those two together?

"Have you seen Haru?" Hitsugaya asked Karin. She shook her head.

"He left with Mei remember?"

"We couldn't find them," Hiroshi said.

"What?!" Aimi exclaimed. "This better not be a joke or those two will get it." She got up from her chair and left some money on the table. Soon the group were using shunpo to find those two mischief kids.

* * *

_Day 4_

"Missy, you are in **_big_**trouble!" Aimi scolded.

Mei hung her head. "We were just playing hide-and-seek," she muttered.

"Yeah!" Haru spoke up. "It was my idea, don't blame Mei."

Mei smiled gratefully at Haru. He was always sticking up for her. It drove Karin insane. He was so in love, even though he was only a few decades old and known her for only two decades.

He looked exactly like Hitsugaya. The face was the same and sometimes the attitude whenever he wasn't with Mei. The difference was his eyes and hair. He had the same hair color and eye color as Karin. It was like seeing Hitsugaya mixed with Karin. Uncanny.

"It doesn't matter whose fault it was!" Hitsugaya scolded his clone. "Both of you should have known better than to wander off and hide your reiatsu. I taught you guys how to do that in case of danger. Not so you guys can't detect each other."

"But, Dad!" Haru complained. "It's no fun when we can sense each other."

"That's because you guys can't control your reiatsu fluently," Hiroshi sighed. "Let's just go home now."

Haru and Mei looked at each other. "We don't want to leave," they complained.

Hitsugaya boxed Haru's ears and then bounded him with kidou. He picked him up and walked off towards the Hitsugaya household, Haru just looked insanely mad at being bounded. "That's not fair!"

Hiroshi just looked at his daughter. "Want the same treatment?"

Mei shook her head and walked with her father in the direction of the palace. Karin laughed as she saw Hiroshi's secret smile. Hitsugaya always made Mei nervous. It would be more difficult to use kidou on a girl though.

"Well it's refreshing to see our two youngsters in love," Aimi commented. The two husbands and children had already walked a far ways off.

"Coming into the woods for hide-and-seek was actually an interesting idea."

"Yeah."

"I just hope they don't do that again."

"True."

"Well gotta go. See you around Aimi."

"Bye, Karin."

Karin followed the direction her husband and child disappeared off to. When she glanced back she saw Aimi staring off into the woods. "What's the matter?" she asked, stopping in her tracks.

"Isn't this the forest that you met Shota?"

Karin looked at the forest. She saw deeper in and saw an empty meadow where they would play soccer. Yup, this was the place.

"That's over, let's go."

"I guess you're right," Aimi said, sighing. "I just miss the old days."

"Me too."

The two went their separate ways. Karin stared at the sky. Her child is making her relationship with Aimi last. The two were so busy that it was hard to spend time with each other. Haru's love for Mei is helping their friendship stay intact.

Kids...what would you do without them?

**The End**


	13. Author's Note

Dear readers,

Sorry about chapter twelve but it has been replaced. That's the end of the story (thank goodness). Hope you guys enjoyed it. It was fun writing it! :D It was my first fanfic so don't be too harsh with your reviews. La di da. I sort of wanted to cut it off. I had no idea what to write next. Sorry if you all thought I was being a bit snobbish when I included myself, but remember, this is my pen name. Aimi is different from the real me. I just didn't want to come up with a different name. Get the picture? Anywho, nice to meet all of you and now I can focus on reviewing _**you**_. Woo! This is going to be fun.

With much love,

Princess Aimi


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